


Sworn to Protect

by HikariOni



Series: Sworn to [1]
Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Action, Eventual Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 22:45:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 30,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13691415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HikariOni/pseuds/HikariOni
Summary: The Ace Hunters welcome a new member in preparation for their task in Dundorma. The Commander isn't exactly happy with this new addition to the group... as is she with him. | i wrote this in 2015. the writing is quite dated, but i promise you the characters are so worth it.





	1. Chapter 1

Hi. I wrote this three years ago, so the writing style definitely isn't my best. However, please bear with it, I promise it's worth it.

 

* * *

 

“I despise your arrogance.”

 

_Here we go again._

 

“I'm not arrogant, I just know what I'm worth!”

 

“You have no clue what your limits are. You overestimate yourself. You have no consideration for the danger you could put your companions in!”

 

It was the same almost every night. And every day, too, to be fair: she'd do something crazy, he'd chew her out for it, and she'd start again the first chance she got. Both had that in common: they were stubborn as hell, and as he was never willing to let her continue her antics, she was never willing to let him stop her.

 

“I had everything perfectly under control! Besides, I'm the reason we beat the damn thing, aren't I?”

 

“Your luck _will_ run out eventually!”

 

“Excuse me?!” she jumped up and pointed a finger at his face. “That's not luck, that's skill, mister I-only-landed-like-three-hits!”

 

He did not give her the pleasure of reacting to her taunt, but he was growing frustrated – well, more frustrated than he already was – and clenched his fists. He, however, did not stand up, but stared her in the eyes as he answered.

 

“It _is_ luck, and it _will_ run out, and the day it does you will regret it all. And if you bring about even a single scratch on one of your companions, I will _personally_ make sure of that.”

 

She shot him a glance as she turned around, throwing her hands in the air as she walked towards her tent, fuming.

 

“Whatever!”

 

He watched her walk away, and when she was out of sight, he sunk in his seat, burying his face in his hands, and let out a long sigh.

 

“She is impossible.”

 

The Cadet, a young man with hair a shade of orange that didn't seem possible and big eyes that looked perpetually amazed at everything, was fidgeting nervously with his hands. He was never quite sure who's side to pick; even though he thought the girl's hammer-related antics and tricks were impressive to say the least, and even though he thought they were awesome, he was hesitant to go against his mentor, and could somewhat see his point.

 

The Gunner, a black woman with long flowing hair held up in a dark ponytail, looked entirely uninterested in picking sides. She preferred listening, and found it entertaining; she had always thought the Commander looked funny when mad. The Hammer wielder's sarcasm towards him amused her greatly as well, and she was indifferent to the issue at hand.

 

The Lancer, a tower of a man who's build looked perfect for the weapon he preferred, stood up and looked to the Commander.

 

“Just let it go, Commander. She never will, and you're just wasting your energy.”

 

He looked up to his companion, a serious look on his face.

 

“I can't let her do this... She's endangering everyone, including herself.”

 

The Lancer closed his eyes, a quick smile flashing on his lips as he sighed.

 

“You are both just as stubborn as one another.”

 

He stretched, then crouched to pick up his things, before taking a step back and nodding to the people still sitting around the fire.

 

“I will head to bed. Good night.”

 

“Good night.”

 

“'Night.”

 

“'Night!”

 

Over the course of the next half-hour, the two others left to go to sleep as well, leaving the Commander sitting alone by the fire. His gaze was deep in the flames, like they hypnotized him, and they were reflected in his eyes. Although he sat close to the fire, he did not feel it's warmth; he felt cold, as flames could not warm the soul, and the scar on his side ached.

 

**

 

The Hammer wielder woke up a bit before the first light of day. She slid out of her covers, slowly got up and rubbed what sleep was left in her out of her eyes. She stretched and grabbed pants and a shirt, which she quickly put on before heading out of her tent.

 

The Commander was sitting near the fire, slowly poking what was left of it with a stick. She sat down on the opposite side of him, waving vaguely as only greeting.

 

“You should put some shoes on,” he said absentmindedly, without taking his eyes off of the embers.

 

“And you should stop trying to tell me what to do.”

 

He gave a tiny, bitter smile.

 

“Did you ever listen to anyone? Your parents, or something? Anyone?”

 

The question caught her a bit off guard. She took the time to think, which only vaguely surprised him. He never took his eyes off of the dying fire.

 

“I listened to the man who taught me how to fight, sometimes.”

 

He looked up, meeting her eyes with his, and for a moment she saw in those green eyes of his a million questions he wanted to ask, a million things he wanted to say about that... but he stayed silent. She looked at him, with this neutral expression only betrayed by that look in his eyes, she stared at his hard features, his sharp jaw, his hair so blond it was almost white, and once again like always, she found that she thought he was quite good looking.

 

“So, should I start teaching you in order to have you listen to reason?”

 

She gave him a wide smirk.

 

“I don't think you can teach me anything.”

 

He sighed softly, his eyes going back to the glowing embers reflected in his eyes. She stood up, grabbing some nearby wood, and started reviving the fire. He only watched it come back to life, never lifting his gaze from the newly revived flames.

 

He always was like this in the mornings; distant, lost in his own thoughts. She had always found that extremely intriguing. In fact, she thought he was quite intriguing as a person; absolutely insufferable, but intriguing. She always thought there was something behind his attitude, not to mention the fact that he told no one his name, and only referred to himself as the Commander. The Hammer wielder, however, had her doubts that Hana, the Ace Gunner, knew it. They had the relationship, the dynamic of people who have known each other for a long time. She'd have to ask the Gunner about that one day. Anyhow, her curiosity was probably the only thing that kept her from hating the Commander, as opposed to being strongly annoyed by him.

 

She put some water to heat with the intention of making some tea, and took out a few pieces of meat from her pack to chew on. He only kept staring at the flames.

 

“The Kindred Hunter is going to be in Dundorma. She will get there after us. She mainly uses a hammer – I think you'd like her.”

“No offense, but I don't think you'd know who I'd like.”

 

He gave a small smile which faded away quite quickly.

 

“You vaguely remind me of her,” he stated simply.

 

“And you _like_ her?”

 

“She has my utmost respect. She has put her own life on the line to protect those she loves, and even people she hardly knew. Obviously that is not your case.”

 

She smirked at him, still chewing on a piece of meat.

 

“Don't act like I'm not saving you guys' asses every time.”

“You are putting us, and yourself, in danger.”

 

He felt like he'd stated this a million times, yet she never understood, and he seriously started to doubt she ever would. She only rolled her eyes and kept eating.

 

They stayed in silence for the rest of the time as the sun was coming up. When their companions woke up, they would be hitting the road again, towards Dundorma, where their biggest challenge still lay ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

Travelling on sand or water was usually done aboard the Ace Hunters' ship, Unaaq. This time, though, the Aces were walking through the desert. The previous endeavours they had participated in aboard the Unaaq had included colliding with both a Gore Magala and a Dah'ren Mohran, rendering the ship heavily damaged and unusable for the time being.

 

This journey amongst the dunes was a dangerous one, even on a ship, but doing it on foot was almost insanity. This desert was filled with vicious monsters, ones that could kill even an experienced hunter in the blink of an eye.

 

This pleased the Hammer wielder. New challenges, new monsters, tougher and more powerful than ever, that was a chance for her to prove herself, to show the world what she was worth. And, most importantly, to show someone in particular that she _did_ have everything under control, and that she did _not_ put anyone in danger, especially not herself. _Take that, you grumpy ass._

 

The Commander was well aware that the danger they were all in simply by travelling in these places made her even more arrogant – although he remained surprised that that was even possible – and that she was eager to get in a fight. All of this both made him nervous and exasperated him. As they all walked, he kept looking around, looking to her, to make sure she was not preparing to do something stupid.

 

Hana acted as lookout; she had the eyes for it. The Commander trusted her with his life, and knew very well that she could warn them if danger approached, be it from above, from below, or from any side. He sometimes wondered if she had eyes in the back of her head; it seemed like she could see everything. She was well the only reason he felt somewhat safe around here. And even if she couldn't stop whatever could come at them, she could warn them in time so that they could all prepare, and not be taken by surprise.

 

The Lancer was in awe at the Cadet's excitement, as he often was. He wondered how the boy could have so much energy, especially in this weather. It was hot, unbearably so, yet the young man jumped around like he did not even feel the temperature.

 

“Settle down, Haru,” the Lancer sighed.

 

He slowed down a bit, turning around to face his companion, and beamed at him.

 

“I'm just so excited to help rebuild Dundorma! I've always wanted to go there!”

 

The Ace Lancer smiled fondly.

 

“It is a wonderful city... But do keep your energy for when we get there, boy.”

“Yes, sir!”

 

The Cadet slowed down again, matching the group's pace, although he still bounced a bit at every step. The Hammer wielder turned around to face the Lancer, an inquisitive look on her face.

 

“You've been to Dundorma before? I've heard a lot about it, but I've never been. Do you have any stories? What exactly is it like?”

 

Hideaki had the look of someone who liked telling stories. He smiled, and his eyes sparkled with a shine the girl had not seen in him ever before. She noted to herself that she needed to ask him to tell stories more often.

 

“The first time I went to Dundorma, I had just become the Capital C Caravan's hunter. The Caravan had decided to head there because they had some business in the city, and I was glad to accompany them, as I had a notebook filled with my biology notes, notes I'd taken after fighting multiple monsters from around the world, and I wished to share my knowledge with people who cared about it; and it just so happened that I had heard of a prominent professor who resided in Dundorma, who was looking for new people to help him in his research. The Caravaneer had assured me that we would stay in the city for a while, so, understandably, I was quite happy.”

 

A smile played on the Ace Commander's lips, as he distractedly listened to this story he had heard a thousand times. And although he was still anxious, his nervousness was slightly calmed at the sight of Leiko – the Hammer wielder, who's name fit so well he wondered if her parents had been able to tell the future – listening intently to Hideaki. She would not stir trouble this way. He let out a small sigh. Only Hana picked up on it.

 

“We travelled there on a sand ship, and did not encounter any problems on the way. When we arrived, I was entirely impressed; I had never seen a city that big! Dundorma is enormous, buzzing with activity at all times and in all of it's corners. It really is a wonderful place, filled with hunters willing to risk their lives to protect it and civilians spending their lives rebuilding it. I admire all of those people, and their hard work inspired me then and continues to do so.”

 

“Anyhow... The Caravaneer and the others were setting up arrangements for us to stay in the city, so I was out walking around... And suddenly, the ground started to shake violently. In the distance, a sound as loud, no, even louder than thunder, BOOM!”

 

His sound effect startled Haru, who was lapping up every word the Lancer threw his way. He was entirely engrossed in the story. Leiko, on the other hand, while she was intently listening, was a lot more level-headed about it.

 

“Everyone around me started panicking, running around, getting back inside their homes. I could hear people screaming 'It's the Mountain Dragon! It's the Mountain Dragon!', the phrase came from all sides. The sound what I assumed it's footsteps made was slow and steady, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, and every time the earth shook. Everyone got in their houses, and I was left all alone in the middle of the street. I still didn't know exactly what was happening, but I'd heard the stories: the Moutain Dragon, a giant Elder Dragon the size of a mountain: the Lao-Shan Lung.”

 

The Cadet let out a “Ooooooooh!”, his big eyes making him look even more surprised and excited than usual. The Hammer wielder's eyes sparkled at the thought of such an enormous creature to take down.

 

“I had a duty: to protect my caravan. So I did what any hunter would do; I took my lance, and ran towards the outer wall of the city. I climbed on top of it, joining dozens of hunters who wanted to protect their home, their families, or even total strangers. Out in the distance, we could see it: this monster, almost the size of the city, coming towards us.”

 

He paused for effect, which looked like it drove Haru crazy.

 

“But we could also see something else... Around it, four tiny specks: hunters! This group of four hunters, risking their lives, running around a dragon that made the earth shake every step it took, that sounded louder than thunder! And they were fighting it! We were far away, way too far for them to hear us, but we cheered them on! They were our heroes, our saviours, they would save the city!”

 

“They fought for a long time, but the Lao-Shan Lung kept going, it kept walking even though the hunters were weakening it. It was getting closer, and closer, and from here we could see the wounds the four men had inflicted upon it, but it was not enough. We all grew nervous, we did not know what to do! The sound of thundering footsteps was getting louder and louder: BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM... And then it came. It arrived. We stood over the gate, on the wall, thinking this was the end. The monster lifted it's enormous head, and it looked at us with eyes filled with evil. We all looked at it; we were terrified, and just as it was about to destroy us all...”

 

He paused for effect again, revelling in the suspense and the total attention his audience gave him.

 

“A hunter armed with a Greatsword took his weapon down on the monster's foot, staggering it! He screamed at us: 'Use the Dragonator! Use the Dragonator!'. Everyone around me was panicked, fumbling around to find it, but I spotted it immediately: in half a second, I was beside it, and I brought down my shield on it with all my might, pressing the button to activate it!”

 

Haru let out a screaming “WOW!”, and even Leiko looked quite impressed, that sparkle in her eyes still shining. The Commander finally felt somewhat safe.

 

“The Dragonator sprang out, digging it's point into the Lao-Shan Lung's chest! The dragon let out a deafening scream, and everything around us shook once again! I thought the wall was going to come down! But then, the shaking stopped, and as I opened my eyes, all I could see was this giant, mountain of a monster, fallen over, DEAD!”

 

This was the punchline. The Cadet leaped into the air, jumping up and down like he was there, and the menace to his life and his city had just been defeated. The Hammer wielder was beaming, this huge smile shaping her features in an expression she did not have often. She was like a child, giddy from this amazing story she'd just heard.

 

“That was awesome! You really defeated a Lao-Shan Lung!?” the redhead couldn't believe his ears.

“Well, I certainly did not do all the work. In fact, without those four hunters wounding it on it's way there, I would have never been able to activate the Dragonator in time. Really, they did all the work: I simply struck the finishing hit.”

“Is there a chance it'll show up when we're there? I'd love to fight that thing!”

 

The Commander snapped.

 

“This is not a game, Leiko. The Lao-Shan Lung is a very real, very powerful threat, and wishing it upon Dundorma is not only foolish, but selfish and dangerous!”

 

The girl turned around, facing the man's back, before spewing the next words.

 

“It's not my fault you feel like you couldn't beat it! You're just scared! You're scared of being hurt, you're scared of dying, you're just a coward!”

 

“ENOUGH!”

 

In all of the times she had pushed him around, she had contradicted him, she had acted like he was nothing other than a pretentious wannabe, he had never so much as raised his voice. This sudden outburst, this scream he had just let out was a first. Leiko suddenly seemed to retract, her aggressive demeanour disappeared and she shrunk back into herself. He had extended his arm, and turned around to face her; she could see in his eyes an anger she had tried to induce before, but in this moment she regretted bringing it upon herself.

 

“You are _nothing,_ ” he seethed. “You are not strong, you are not almighty, and you are certainly not as skilled as you think you are. You are not better than _anybody_ , and you certainly are not better than _any of us_. Your insignificance in this world is only equal to the insignificance of every single one of your thoughts. You are a little girl; a child, you are nothing. _Nothing_.”

“Enough, A-” Hana stopped as the man glared at her with eyes filled with warning. “...Commander. That's enough. She's heard enough.”

 

And indeed she had. The Hammer wielder held her head high, but it was simply out of pride. She stared the Commander in the eyes, but he could see her eyes flicker with the tears she was holding back. She did not speak, though her silence said it all. Her expression remained neutral, but her features hardened.

 

They stared each other in the eyes, a silent battle raging between them. The Commander was the first one to look away, as he turned around to face the horizon. He kept walking, everyone following suit, but this time in silence. And as they walked, between the dunes, the silhouette of a city slowly revealed itself.


	3. Chapter 3

The officials of Dundorma welcomed the Ace Hunters with open arms. They all looked quite nervous and fidgety, but their saviours' arrival seemed to make them relax a little. They shook hands with everyone, and Leiko received quite a few congratulations for her presence among the Aces, but she only accepted them with sarcastic smiles and passive-aggressive words. The Commander sighed every time.

 

Once the presentations were over, he turned to his companions, never locking eyes with the Hammer wielder.

 

“You are all dismissed. I will make the arrangements for the arrival of the Capital C Caravan.”

 

Hideaki gestured for everyone to follow him, but then locked eyes with Hana, who grabbed Leiko by the arm. He gave her an understanding look and left, followed suit by Haru; the Gunner led the Hammer wielder the other way, only sparing a glance at the Commander, who gave her a hard look. She did not, however, let his silent protest stop her.

 

**

 

“How can you even _tolerate_ him?!”

 

Leiko exploded as soon as they were out of earshot.

 

“He's stuck up, he's an asshole, he acts like he's superior to us, like he can tell us what to do and not do! He's so annoying! Besides, he looks constipated all the time!”

 

Hana let the younger girl let out her anger without a word, although she did spare a chuckle, guiding her along the streets. She knew exactly where she was going, and although she had a doubt the Commander would know as well, she was confident she could get there before he could.

 

“He's the Commander. You learn to live with it.”

 

The Hammer wielder groaned.

 

“I don't want to learn to live with it! He makes my life miserable!”

 

The Gunner let out a chuckle.

 

“You make his just as miserable, girl.”

“Good.”

 

The streets were filled with people, most of them working on reparations, the others generally feeding the workers or helping in any way they could. It was impressive to see so many people working together towards the same goal, and only her anger kept Leiko from admiring that. She followed Hana closely, although she didn't have much choice in the matter, as the woman still held her arm in a tight grip.

 

“Hey, you can probably let me go now.”

“Nah, you'll get lost in these streets faster than you can crush a Jaggi's skull.”

 

The Hammer wielder reckoned that was quite fast, and so did not insist.

 

They made their way along the streets for some time, and in all that time Leiko never stopped ranting. Hana was only half-listening to her; she'd heard her complain a thousand times now, and she wasn't exactly interested in hearing the same things repeated over and over again.

 

They finally reached their destination a few minutes after departing; and in front of them stood an old tower that no one had bothered to fix in a while. The Gunner led the girl to the roof, dodging holes in the stairs and dangerous terrain like she had been here a million times before. The view from the roof was quite impressive, but none of them took the time to watch it, and Hana sat down on a piece of rubble.

 

“Take a seat.”

 

She gestured to another piece of rubble lying near hers. Leiko sat down on it, crossing her legs.

 

“Why did you bring me here?”

 

She had been too busy ranting to wonder, but now that they were here the question sprung in her mind. It was quite unusual behaviour on Hana's part, as the girl had only observed her being quite introverted and, while she mingled with the group, she did not talk much, and when she did, it was either to make fun of the Commander or to warn them about something. The Gunner intrigued Leiko; she was the member of the Aces she seemed like the would get along with the most, yet she was the one she had the least interaction with.

 

“I wanted to talk to you about the Commander. Obviously.”

 

Her usually casual and laid-back stance shifted, and the Hammer wielder was a bit thrown off by the serious look Hana gave her. She, however, did not let it show; she only sighed and rolled her eyes.

 

“Haven't we talked about him enough?”

 

The Gunner let out a chuckle.

 

“Not in that way. No, what I wanted to say is... There's _some_ truth to what he says.”

 

Leiko sprang up in protest, but before she could speak a word Hana gestured for her to sit back down as she interrupted her:

  
“Stop. Let me finish.”

 

There was a certain authority to her voice that the Hammer wielder was hesitant to go against. This was the first time she was hearing her speak in such a serious manner, and it intimidated her.

 

“It's not that he doesn't like you... Well, okay, he doesn't. But you don't either. You're just not people who get along well, and that's okay. Anyway, that's not the point. My point is... He's got reasons to act like he does. And you probably have reasons to act like you do, too, I don't know. But don't hold it against him. Yeah, he's a bit of an asshole sometimes but... he's a good guy. And he'll never say it himself, but part of the reason he acts like this towards you is because he wants to protect you.”

“I don't need protection!”

“Yes, you do.”

 

Hana had seen him come in, but Leiko was surprised by the Commander's intervention. She spun around, glaring daggers at him.

 

“How long have _you_ been here?”

 

He did not answer her, instead turning to the Gunner.

 

“I appreciate the gesture, but I don't really need you to justify my actions to her. You've seen her reaction; it's not like talking to her will do any good.”

“Yeah, sure,” was her only answer.

 

Hana got up, stretching in a very feline manner, and then headed towards the exit: she knew very well that he was the one who talking to was useless. He knew she thought that, although he did not care enough to argue; that, and he knew there was at least _some_ truth to it.

 

“Hey, don't leave me here with him!” Leiko piped up, and she started following the other woman.

 

The Commander did not let her go, however, and he firmly grabbed her arm. She jerked herself out of his grip.

 

“Don't _fucking_ touch me!”

 

He glared at her, although he hadn't expected that strong of a reaction, and it surprised him. He, however, had his doubts it had to do with his previous outburst when they were still outside the city.

 

“There is something we must discuss,” although his tone remained calm, it was harsh.

“You said it yourself: it's not like I'll listen anyway!”

 

She turned around and angrily walked away; this time, he did not try to stop her. He let out a long sigh as he sat down on a piece of rubble, burying his face in his hands like she had him do so often. He only lifted his head when he heard someone come towards him.

 

“I thought you were leaving,” he said as he and Hana locked eyes. He sounded entirely discouraged.

“Not gonna let her think I'm not on her side,” was the Gunner's only answer.

“You're on her side?”

“You're being unreasonable, and have no clue how to deal with her. I do.”

 

He threw his arms up in equal parts contempt and confusion.

 

“How _am_ I supposed to deal with her? She puts us, herself, and everyone around her in danger! I don't even know how she got to this level in one piece! How did the Guild ever think adding her to the Aces was a good idea?!”

“Because she _does_ have skill. You can't see it because you're blinded by her arrogance, but there _is_ a reason she's here, and there _is_ a reason the Guild recognized her as good enough to be part of the Aces. If you pulled your head out of your ass, you could see that.”

 

He sighed angrily.

 

“What's the point of skill when you use it like she does?”

“That's not for us to decide. She can use her skill however she wants.”

“Not when it puts other people in danger!”

 

She recognized in his stance not only the anger he carried in his voice, but the desperation, the fear he tried to hide behind it. She knew him too well not to, and he very well knew that, but he was still too prideful to let it show.

 

“Look,” she sighed, “You said it: she's not going to listen to you. And if I don't tell her the things she wants to hear, or if I don't spin my words to make them sound like what she wants to hear, she won't listen to me either. So just let it go. You of all people should know that: she's never failed, she can't know what it's like. She thinks she's invincible. And that'll only change when she fucks up for the first time. And when it happens, _that_ 's when we'll have to be there. _That_ 's when we'll have to protect her.”

 

He let out a long sigh, and she saw in his eyes the flickering of a pain they both shared, although he felt it tenfold; she knew for a fact that it was in moments like these where his scar ached the most.

 

“If she gets any of you hurt, I'll...”

“I know.”

 

She gave him a comforting smile. His crooked one was his only answer.

 


	4. Chapter 4

“Fucking piece of shit.”

This wasn't the first time she had thought that about him, and it probably wouldn't be the last. But this time, there was a real anger to it, not the annoyance it used to be: she didn't say it just to insult him, but because she believed it. This wasn't like all the others times, this time he'd reacted. And he'd reacted hard. Harder than she thought he could, even. She always thought he was scared of confrontation, in a way. She had believed that he would never actually explode at her. And yet he had.

And, somehow, it hurt.

It's not that she cared what he thought of her. Besides, she'd known that for a while. He thought she was worthless. He thought she was putting them in danger. He thought she was dangerous. That was weird. She'd never had someone think she was dangerous before. Well, except the monsters maybe, but they probably didn't have that kind of foresight.

No, really, it wasn't what he thought that hurt. It was how he'd said it. How no one had stood up for her. How they'd all listened in silence as he was ripping her apart. She had expected Hideaki to defend her. Or maybe Hana. But none of them did. And she wasn't able to defend herself. Because she was surprised. And because, perhaps, she was scared.

“Bullshit, I'm not scared of him.”

Not of him, but of his power. The power he had over the Aces, his friends, well, his companions. She was just the new Ace, the one that hadn't formed any sort of real bond with any of them yet. When they fought, they fought together, like people who have gone through thick and thin with each other. And then there was her, doing what she was good at: swinging a hammer. But when they fought, she was alone. And she was starting to think that maybe it was her fault.

“Fuck that, he's just wrong.”

Well, Hana had told her that there was some truth to what he was saying. Was she on his side? She somehow doubted that. Usually, she didn't hesitate to call him out on his bullshit. But still, the Gunner didn't have any sort of relationship with her... and she did with the Commander. They'd known each other for a long time, she was sure of that now. She couldn't help but wonder how they'd met. She would have to ask the woman about that, later.

“Later,” she repeated after her own thoughts, as if trying to make them truer.

She wasn't going to head back to... wherever they were staying, at least not right now. No, she needed to get out. Have a bit of time alone, away from the city, away from her responsibilities, from this town and it's fate which laid in their hands.

She didn't really know exactly where Dundorma's door was. Or where she was. But she could see, close by, the walls of the city. Surely, that was good enough. She walked up to the wall. It wasn't too tall... She could scale it without a doubt. Even with her hammer on her back, she was a skilled climber.

And so she climbed. If anyone had paid attention to her, perhaps they'd have tried to stop her. But no one looked at the crazy girl going up the city wall; they were way too busy rebuilding it.

She made her way back down once she was on the other side. She looked around: there was no one. She decided she would follow the wall once she was ready to go back inside, so she could find the door. But she didn't want to do that right now: she wanted to be alone. That's why she'd gone out in the first place, of course, and bumping into someone out here would be less than optimal.

She walked for a couple minutes, never losing sight of the city as to not get lost. She judged she was far enough, and sat down on a rock, amongst the dunes. All around her, all there was was sand, and desolation. It seemed like a very bad place to establish a city, especially considering all of the dangerous monsters around. But this decision was easily understood when one knew about the sheer amount of rare materials in the surrounding areas.

She sat there for a while, pondering many things. She'd have to convince Hana to talk to the Commander... somehow. Tell him to lay off of her. She was sure he'd listen to her. And the Gunner would surely be easier to convince that she didn't, in fact, need protection. Yes... that was a good plan. She decided that she would go do that right now.

She got up, dusting herself up, and prepared to head back to town. But before she could even start walking, an unknown scream shook the earth. And, following it, was a familiar voice.

Leiko's eyes widened. This was Haru's voice.

She practically leaped forward, sprinting towards the direction she'd heard the scream. The sand made it hard to run, her feet slightly sinking in it every time, and it made for a very frustrating way to get around. But now wasn't exactly the time to complain.

She got to the scene just in time. And it wasn't a nice sight.

“Holy fuck...”

There stood, in front of the Ace Hunters, a Diablos. Two giant horns adorned it's head, making it look like a devil, which, surely, was where it's name came from. Leiko hadn't heard much about this type of monster, other than the fact that they were incredibly territorial, and incredibly dangerous. And this one seemed quite mad.

Haru was on the floor, eyes wide with fear. He'd missteped, she assumed, and now he was at the monster's mercy. The Commander was on the other side of it, so was Hideaki, and Hana was way too far. None of them could make it in time. In the Commander's eye shone a fear, a desperation so strong Leiko almost felt it herself.

She had to act fast. And stupidly. Which, luckily, was her speciality.

The Diablos started charging. Haru closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. The Commander screamed a scream the Hammer wielder didn't hear. She leaped, hammer out, onto the beast, and for a moment she wasn't certain she was going to make it.

But she did, and she brought her weapon down on it's back, making it flinch and deviate, hitting the wall just beside the Cadet. He opened his eyes tentatively, realizing he wasn't dead or in horrible pain, and looked up to see Leiko, mounting this beast of a monster. He let out a joyful scream.

“Leiko! I love you!”

She smiled, steadying herself.

“You're welcome!”

The Diablos, however, wasn't as happy as they were. Once it snapped out of the mild confusion it's head strongly hitting the wall had put it in and realized what made it miss was on it's back, it knew what to do. It started trying to shake her off with all it's might, running around, hitting blindly left and right.

Now, this was a bit of a sticky situation.

The Hammer wielder couldn't jump down. That would hurt, a lot. And the longer she stayed on it, the harder it would become to do so. So the only option left, was for her companions to kill this thing before it could throw her off. And that wasn't exactly an easy task, with it jumping around as it was.

So Leiko braced. She would probably be able to hold on. If there was something she trusted, it was very well the strength of her arms.

The Aces didn't have the time to rejoice, or even to be worried. All they could do now, was fight. 

So they did. They fought for their lives, for the life of their companion. Hana was smirking as she shot. Hideaki smiled every time he blocked a hit. Haru was running around, a new found energy flowing through his veins when his life was saved. The Commander was the only one who's serious look was only steeled by all of this.

The Diablos was jumping around, trying to shake Leiko off. And even though it was a lot stronger than she was, and even though her arms were starting to ache, she held on.

“Come on you dumb fuck, just die!”

And, well, she decided to make that come true. 

So she steadied herself, readied her hammer, and then she hit. And again, and again, and again. The Diablos went crazy: it started jumping around, spinning, trying it's hardest to get her off. But she couldn't hit with all her strength in this position, and would need to stand on it, as opposed to straddle it.

And that was a bad decision. She overestimated the strength of her legs, and the power of her hit, which she expected to make the monster fall over in pain. And so she unleashed this blow, and the moment the hammer struck the monster's hide, she was thrown off.

She heard the Commander scream, but she wasn't sure if he was enraged or anguished. She heard Hideaki scream something about catching her. She heard Haru and Hana yelling profanities. And then she heard nothing.

The next thing she knew was pain. She knew she had hit the ground, but she couldn't feel it. Only pain filled her mind: she tried to breathe, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a scream. She saw the Diablos approaching her, fast, and she saw it's horn tear her flesh, she saw the blood, and she knew that she was going to die. She regretted it all.

The last thing she saw was a blue blade through the monster's head, and then nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

And then there was silence.

 

The Commander slid his blade out of the Diablos' head, showering his arm in blood as he pushed it aside. The monster's corpse made a dull sound when it hit the ground. The Commander made a similar noise as he fell to his knees.

 

He wasn't certain who's blood was pooling on the ground, and he wasn't certain if the Diablos' fangs had pierced his flesh, and he wasn't certain whether what stained his face was blood or tears. He would have closed his eyes to escape this sight, to flee from here at least in spirit, but the sight of this girl, the one he had tried so hard to save from this fate, haunted him, and he couldn't look away. He wasn't able to avert his gaze from this disaster: it was all his fault.

 

He watched but did not see Hideaki come over to them and start tending to Leiko's wounds. This was what he had done. He did not tend to her because it was hypocrisy to try to nurse the pain he had inflicted.

 

He felt but did not understand Hana's hand resting softly on his back, and the hint of warmth she brought to his cold body. She did not try to talk to him, because she knew her words wouldn't reach him, and she did not try to get him to get up, because she knew his legs wouldn't carry him. He wouldn't carry himself.

 

Haru made no comments, although he hardly understood all that was happening around him. He was unsure how to react, and guilt was slowly welling up in him. But for his silence Hana was grateful, and she shot him a thankful, comforting smile that made him feel a bit better.

 

They had to leave fast. But the Commander did not let anyone else carry Leiko to Dundorma. And as he walked and held her broken frame against himself, he cried.

 

* * *

 

 

In his moment of failure he became a guardian angel. His responsibility called him to many places at all times. He had to make important decisions, had to protect this town and it's people, and although he did all of that he still found himself spending all the time he could and all of his nights by her side. She slept and moaned in pain, her whimpers kept him awake. He ate and slept very little, but stood as tall as he ever could, and only the people who knew him best could see the despair in his eyes had gotten deeper.

 

His scar ached with a pain stronger than any wound that had ever been inflicted upon him. But he did not cry, and he never so much as flinched; he ordered around both the Aces and all the forces that had been put at his disposition, fought (often personally) any monster that got too close to the city, and helped repair it's walls like he was strengthening the ones around his heart.

 

During the day, he was Dundorma's hero. But as night came, he was but a man who regretted his mistakes, and Leiko's unconscious form was both the latest reason he was fighting himself and the only witness to this battle he couldn't win.

 

Days passed by and, slowly, some sort of routine established himself. He would leave her room at the first light of day, eat a few bites of whatever was served to him, and get to work. Only when the sun was long gone behind the horizon did he ever go back to Leiko.

 

On this particular day, though, came an irregularity in this feeble routine: Hana walked up to him, waving vaguely as only greeting. He nodded at her.

 

“What is it?” he croaked, and immediately cleared his throat, surprised by the sound of his own voice.

“I just wanted to tell you that the Capital C Caravan is supposed to arrive either today or tomorrow,” she paused just in time to see the flash of relief in his eyes. “And our mentor should be here a few days later.”

 

She had hesitated to mention him, because talking about Masato brought her an unpleasant mix of feelings, and she could see in the Commander the clashing of his guilt and admiration for the man. A smile illuminated his face, and this was a rare sight, but, in contrast, in his eyes shone a sorrow so deep and powerful it shook Hana to the core. This expression quickly left the Commander's face, however, and for an instant, like every other time, she wondered if she had not simply dreamed it. His features regained their habitual neutrality, but as always his eyes revealed a lot more than he would have liked.

 

“Understood. Thank you.”

 

The second part sounded a lot softer, and Hana knew he wasn't simply thanking her for the information she delivered. She nodded.

 

“Well, I have to go back to work now,” she excused herself. She turned around before he could even add anything, not that he would have tried to: he knew very well she didn't like goodbyes, even mundane ones.

 

He stood there for a moment, pondering the things she had just revealed and how they would change his next course of action. He walked to another day of work, his head filled with the questions he had never stopped asking himself.

 

* * *

 

 

That night, he came back to an empty room.

 

His first reaction was panic. He did not have the chance, or the time, to think. He got out of the room and searched frantically for Leiko. He feared the worst. His mind was only filled with terrifying thoughts, and for a moment the weight of his failure almost made him insane.

 

And then she walked around the corner, and it took him everything he had not to collapse at the sight of her. She carried herself around by using her hammer as a cane, yet her legs still shook. She had her wounded arm curled up against herself, and whimpered slightly with each step. She only looked at the floor, and only focused on the effort it took her to move, and so she did not see him at first. But then, she lifted her gaze, and their eyes locked. She smirked.

 

“Hey.”

 

Her voice was weak, but relief washed over him when he heard her in anything other than a moan of pain. All he could do was stand there, looking at her. Seeing this body holding itself up, carrying itself, after only watching it, limp, in a bed for so long felt weird, almost unreal. Through it all, though, he was unsure if he was furious that she had done such a stupid thing as getting up and walking around alone in her state, or happy that she could.

 

She stared at his bewildered look with nothing but amusement, and her smirk only grew at this sight. She waved her good hand in front of herself.

 

“You alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost...”

 

She cut herself off with a whimper as she winced and her legs gave off.

 

Before she could even start falling, he had gotten to her and caught her, and she could only let herself lean on him as she clung to her hammer with her good arm.

 

“Ow,” she let out, and only her tone betrayed her anger, as she was too weak to push him away or even walk without him.

 

He helped her straighten up the most she could without being in pain, but it was obvious that she could not travel back to her room on her own feet, and even she wasn't stupid enough to risk hurting herself more, simply out of pride. Or, well, she would've tried to, but she couldn't. And she wasn't willing to risk a quick recovery.

 

He basically carried her back to her room, and the only thing she could do on her own was sit in her bed. He took a step back, but she did not notice the flash of guilt in his eyes.

 

“What did you want?”

 

She hadn't expected him to break the silence, and gave him a puzzled look.

 

“What do you mean?”

“You went out of your room with your legs hardly able to carry you: you must have wanted something.”

 

She felt the flames of anger fill her chest.

 

“I'm very aware of my own condition, thank you very much,” there was bitterness to her words.

 

But just as his guilt blinded him and prevented him from seeing her features hardening, her frustration blinded her and prevented her from seeing him flinch as if she had delivered a physical blow.

 

“Forgive me,” he said in a voice sadder than she had ever heard from him.

 

She grabbed this as an opportunity to attack again, and did not hesitate before spitting out her next words.

 

“For what? For berating me, treating me like nothing, or acting like I'm suddenly crippled and need your pity?”

 

This was entirely uncalled for, but all of this weighed on Leiko more than she was willing to admit. It made her tense, and defensive, and afraid, and she felt as if everything the Commander had done in the past few minutes had been done to attack her, to belittle her. The way he had treated her on the last day she could remember certainly didn't help.

 

He hesitated. For a long time, he hesitated. And for a moment, she thought she had broken him, and guilt tugged at her heart. She opened her mouth to say something, but he spoke first.

 

“For not being able to protect you.”

 

He had not hesitated because he was scared of her reaction, or because he didn't know how to word his thoughts. He had hesitated because this was him admitting his failure to her. Him admitting the pain she was in was his fault. Him taking the blame for this situation, for her weakness. Sorrow was the only thing he expressed, the only thing he exhaled, but she did not see that.

 

“Fuck you!” she exploded.

 

He was startled, and took a step back. She was fuming, clenching the only fist she could, ignoring the pain.

 

“I don't need you to defend me! I don't need you to protect me, I can take care of myself-”

“You are stuck here, aren't you?!” he interrupted her, and this was the second time he raised his voice. This time, however, it did not surprise her. “Stuck in this bed, in pain, unable to move by yourself-”

 

“Shut up!” she screamed, too: it was her turn to cut him off.

 

She had straightened up, her feet laying on the floor as she still sat on the bed. He watched in some kind of horror as she got up unsteadily, and attempted to take a step forward. Her body, however, could not take it, and again her feeble legs gave off under her weight. This time he did not catch her, and when she hit the floor she could not suppress a yelp of pain. She had her forehead pressed against the ground, but even so, when she felt the tears burn behind her eyes, she squeezed them shut.

 

“Get out...”

 

He did not move, and simply stood there, frozen in place. She could not see him, but guessed he was looking down on her.

 

“GET. OUT!”

 

It took him a few seconds to register the command, and he got out of the room with a stutter in his step. He closed the door behind himself with some sort of caution, almost gently, and pressed his back against it. Slowly, he slid to the floor, letting himself lay against the door.

 

He was kept awake, that night, by the sound of her sobs.

 


	6. Chapter 6

A knock on the door woke Leiko. She did not open her eyes, pain overflowing her consciousness. For a moment, she could not think, and did not understand what was happening, but, slowly, she remembered everything. She couldn't remember falling asleep, though, and definitely couldn't remember having climbed in bed. She wouldn't have been able to. Which meant the Commander had stayed outside until she'd fallen asleep, long into the night. But now that the anger she had felt yesterday had faded, all that was left was emptiness, and the small feeling of gratefulness the Commander's act had brought upon her was swallowed into the darkness.

 

Whoever was outside the door knocked again. Leiko debated letting them in, or trying to fall asleep again, but decided against the latter when she realized that would mean she would be left alone with her thoughts.

 

“Come in,” she croaked, and those first words brought a metallic taste to her mouth.

 

The door opened slowly, almost tentatively, to reveal a red head. Haru slipped inside the room, closing the door behind him, and shot the Hammer wielder a shy smile.

 

“Hi. Hope I didn't wake you up.”

“You didn't,” she lied.

 

The Cadet had prepared himself for coming here. He'd tried to imagine all the ways she could look, the tiredness in her eyes, the whiteness of her skin, the wounds on her body, but he couldn't help but be taken off guard by just how bad Leiko looked. Not only was her skin incredibly pale, lack of nutrition in the past days had left her cheeks hollow, and her eyes not only hosted tiredness but a dullness he had never seen in her. He tried his best to hide his surprise, but he knew, better than anybody, that he was a bad liar. She picked up on the slight widening of his eyes. _Well, at least you're not the only person who thinks you're pathetic._

 

“The Commander told me you were awake, so... I just thought I'd drop by.”

 

She tried to straighten up, to lay with her back against the wall, but when she tried to drag herself upwards, the only thing she was met with was pain. She tried to suppress a whimper: she failed. Haru tentatively stepped forward, unsure if he was to help, and scared that he would hurt her in trying to do so. She looked to him, and saw the hesitation in his eyes. She closed hers, and let out a silent sigh.

 

“Can you give me a hand?”

“Uh, yeah, sure, of course.”

 

He helped her up, delicately, and she rested her back on the wall. He stood back, and his gaze was immediately drawn to her body, wrapped in bandages, and the blood that had stained them. Even though she was sitting up, Leiko had her shoulders slouched, and he couldn't suppress the thought that it made her look even more pathetic. He glanced at the chair beside the bed, but didn't sit on it.

 

“How are you feeling?” he asked, although the look on his face clearly indicated he already knew the answer.

“As well as I could be.”

 

She hadn't wanted to lie to him, but she couldn't admit her own pain and failure out loud. Those were the words she didn't want to hear, especially not from herself. Her thoughts went back to the Commander, though the flames of her anger were washed away by the waves of her despair.

 

“That's good, I guess.”

 

Haru didn't know what to say, or what to do in this situation. Seeing the feisty, fierce Leiko sat in this bed, reduced to a shell of herself, weak and in pain, was not only something he never thought he would see, but a hard collision with reality. He had thought she was invincible, impossible to take down, incapable of making mistakes: yet here she was, and it was only a vicious reminder that a hunter's life was not a safe one. He realized, too late perhaps, that he had been staring at her, and dragged himself out of his dark thoughts.

 

“Right, I came here to tell you something...”

 

She looked at him with these empty eyes, and for a moment his guilt crushed him.

 

“Thank you. For saving me. I know this is all my fault, I... If I hadn't fallen, you never would've had to jump on the Diablos, and you never would've...”

 

He trailed off, realizing the last thing she needed was a reminder of her own condition. She stared at him, and only confusion shone in her eyes. She didn't understand people like that, people who took the blame for actions that weren't theirs.

 

“It's not your fault.”

 

He waited for her to continue, for an explanation, but it never came. In truth, her nightmares still haunted her, and in her head often flashed those moments. Talking about them was out of the question, and she wasn't even sure if she would be physically able to do so.

 

“Thanks,” he broke the silence that was starting to weigh on them both, “but I still want to apologize. You saved my life, and it cost you a lot... So I'm really sorry, and really grateful for that.”

 

She did not answer, and only stared at him, a million thoughts running through her head. The silence he had broken came back to haunt them, filling the room with awkwardness. He looked to his own feet, the emptiness of this all reminded him only of his shame. Slowly, he looked up again.

 

“I'm sorry, but I have to go. I still have a lot of work to do.”

 

He shot her an apologetic look, but she did not answer, and watched him walk towards the door and open it. He turned to her again.

 

“Get well soon, okay?”

 

He left and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone in this room, hardly able to move. She let her head rest on the wall behind her, a million thoughts swirling in her head as she felt herself be swallowed by her own despair, and, silently, she cried.

 

* * *

 

She had fallen asleep somewhere along the afternoon, and a new knock in the door woke her up. This time, the pain overflowing her mind when she opened her eyes wasn't quite as bad, although her sleeping position – with her back against the wall still – left much to be desired. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, and remembered why she had woken up in the first place. None of the people who could be outside the door she particularly wanted to see, but once again company won over her loneliness.

 

“Come in,” she croaked once more, although this time the taste of blood in her mouth did not surprise her.

 

She hadn't expected him to come back. Yet here he was, platter in hand, opening the door and closing it behind him: the Commander. And although she wanted to be angry, she wanted to scream at him to get out, that she didn't want to see him again, it was only because she knew this would be her reaction in any other circumstances. But right now, he was some sort of light in the darkness, a way to distract her from her thoughts, and so she did not say anything.

 

He did not talk either, simply walking up to her and laying the platter on the bedside table. He glanced at the chair beside the bed, but did not sit on it like he had so many times before. His gaze went along her body, the pain in his eyes got deeper, and he frowned at the bloodstains on the bandages. He turned around, walked towards the door, and exited the room.

 

Seeing him leave left her with an emptiness she had never thought his absence would bring. She sighed. The food on the table beside her tempted her, as her stomach growled, but she was hardly willing to give herself another chance to fail. And if she could not feed herself, she did not know what was left for her.

 

She eyed the platter for a long while, but did not move. Then she heard the door opening, and in walked a tall man with brown hair and glasses: following suit was the Commander. He walked up to her and set the bag he was carrying on the floor besides the bed. The man looked to her, and while his stare was serious, it reflected kindness.

 

“Hello Miss. I am Shuu, the doctor who has taken care of you ever since you have been brought back here. I am here to simply assess the state of your recovery, and to change your bandages.”

 

She nodded slowly. Then the doctor got to work. It was like he had done this a million times: he slowly, carefully unwrapped the bandages around her chest – for which the Commander turned around, although he did not leave – and examined the state of her wounds. And as he did so, she could, for the first time, see them as well: the skin over her ribs was bruised, and she could guess that a couple of them were broken, there were multiple tiny cuts all along her left side, which she assumed were caused by the dragging of her body on the sand when she had fallen. But that wasn't the worst, far from it: the worst part was the gash on her right arm, and the way she could clearly see that it had absorbed the impact that would have killed her otherwise. This was further reinforced by the wound that bled between her breasts, a lot more shallow than it could have been, but still fairly deep.

 

As Shuu inspected her wounds, and even though his touch was delicate, jolts of pain went through her body, and she couldn't suppress her whimpers. And every time she let out such a sound, the Commander tensed up, flinched, like her pain was his.

 

The examination, luckily, was over quickly, and after the doctor was done applying some sort of substance to her wounds, he wrapped new bandages around Leiko, and took a step backwards as he put his things away in his bag, which he picked up.

 

“Your recovery seems to be going somewhat slowly, I'm afraid. Your wounds have opened back up slightly, and I advise not pushing your body. It clearly has it's limits, which you seem to have tried to overcome. But in the end, if you manage to keep your movements to a minimum, everything should be alright. You should be able to walk with relative ease again in a few days. But for now, stay in bed, nourish yourself, and get a lot of sleep.”

 

He headed out, and she watched him go. He opened the door, but before exiting, turned around and shot a look, first to the Commander, who was watching him as well, then to Leiko.

 

“I will be back tomorrow morning to change your bandages again. Good night.”

 

He closed the door behind him. The Commander turned to Leiko, who in turn looked at him with those empty eyes. He closed his and let out a long sigh.

 

“I apologize. I had ordered that no one come to bother you during the day: I should have thought that your bandages would need changing.”

 

If this had been any other day, she probably would have made some snarky comment about how rare it was for him to apologize, but in this instance she simply broke eye contact with him, and looked to the food he had brought again. Slowly, she reached out to it, trying to put it on her lap, but she could not carry it with one hand. He picked up the platter, and delicately lay it on her. She started eating. He sat down in the chair beside the bed, watching her, but he did not speak.

 

They spent a few minutes in silence, as she ate, and when she was done he picked up the platter and laid it back on the table. She had expected him to leave and bring it with him, but he stayed there, and somehow she was relieved by that fact. She let her head lay against the wall and looked at the ceiling. She didn't have anything to say, and she could feel he wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure when, or where, to start.

 

“There is something I did not yet have the occasion to tell you. I know this comes quite late, but I would still like to say it.”

 

He paused, and she thought he was gathering his thoughts. In truth, he was pondering the effect these words would have on her, and if she could ever truly understand what he felt.

 

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

 

She looked at him, stared in his eyes: this was not something she had expected him to say. She had expected many things, anything but that. But he was sincere, and she could see in his eyes that this gratefulness ran a lot deeper than anything she had ever felt. She wanted to ask why, but she let her silence do it for her.

 

“Without you, by now, Haru would be dead. He was in danger, and I was powerless to stop it. You are the one who did, you saved him, and for that I am more grateful to you than you can ever imagine.”

 

He did not move, his stance did not shift, and she knew he wanted to say something more. She could almost feel, almost hear the words bordering his lips, and although hearing them she knew would only remind her of her own failure, she also knew that in those words would lay a comfort, a certainty that she wasn't willing to admit made her feel safe. She did not say anything, but in her eyes shone a pleading, both for him to admit it, and for him to keep silent. He decided to speak.

 

“My only regret is that I could not do the same for you. And so, I reiterate: forgive me. Forgive me, because I have failed to keep you safe, although it is my duty.”

 

He hadn't expected her to answer, and her silence did not surprise him, although he had expected anger in her, yet it wasn't there. All he could see was surrender: she surrendered to her pain, to her powerlessness, but she also surrendered to him. And although he had wanted this from her, an acceptance of the wrongness of her ways, he had known from the moment she had fallen that he would not take joy in it. Instead, he only shared her despair as if it was his own, because her failure was as much hers as it was his.

 

“It's not my ways that are wrong, Commander,” she spoke, “only my weakness to follow them.”

 

He did not answer. He understood that he had been mistaken, and in her stance was not surrender, but shame, and he understood that she had not changed, simply had lost the will to fight, if only for a time. And she knew that in this moment he would not fight her, because he did not want to hurt her any more, and that was the sole reason she had admitted that he was wrong.

 

They did not understand each other, as in their minds too many piece of the puzzle that was the other were missing. But in this moment, although they could not understand each other, they were together, and that night, for the first time since the incident, she slept soundly, as he fought off the nightmares that haunted her.

 


	7. Chapter 7

That morning, when Doctor Shuu unwrapped the bandages around Leiko's chest, they weren't stained with as much blood as usual. And when he wrapped them around her again, he flashed her a kind smile. She knew the words he was going to say, but she was scared to death of hearing them.

 

“Today, Miss, you are going to walk.”

 

She appreciated that he had not used the word 'try', but fear welled up in her chest anyway. Slowly, she slid to the side of the bed, and laid her feet on the floor. The coolness of it gave her tingles. It was such an alien sensation, one she hadn't felt in so long, it was almost surreal. She eyed the floor with some kind of apprehension. Shuu held out his arm for her to grab onto, so he could help her support her weight. But she knew, deep down, that if she could not walk without his help today, she could never hunt again.

 

Failure loomed over her. She had failed once. If she failed again, she was done. She was nothing. For a long time, that thought and fear held her still. The doctor did not pressure her, he kept silent: he had done this and similar things a hundred times before.

 

She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. If she did not try now, she would never know. And if there was one thing worse than failure, it was uncertainty.

 

She grabbed Shuu's arm, and he felt her shaking through her unnecessarily strong grip. Slowly, carefully, she dragged herself upwards. Her knees unfolded like mechanisms that hadn't been used in years, and her legs shook, and she couldn't entirely support herself, but she was standing. That was a first victory.

 

She did not revel in it. The hardest was yet to come.

 

She lifted her foot, and felt her other leg shaking more: she ignored it. She brought her foot down to her first step. Then, she took a second one. And a third one. Right: she had that down. But as she leaned on Shuu to support herself, her thoughts went back to her first day of consciousness after the incident.

 

This time, she couldn't afford to fall. She did not have the excuse of being recently wounded. She did not have an excuse. It was now or never.

 

Normally, the doctor would never have let a patient do what Leiko was about to do. But there was a fierceness in her eyes when she looked into his, a determination that he could not deny. This was not his choice, but hers. And so he did not try to hold onto her when she let go of him.

 

She stood on her own for the first time in what seemed like years. Her legs shook violently, but she did not care. In her mind flashed the memory of the last time she had tried to walk alone, she could almost feel herself falling, feel her body hitting the ground, feel the pain this brought her. But she did not fall. She stood and straightened up, her legs hurt, her shoulders hurt from being pulled out of slouching, but she ignored it.

 

Slowly, she lifted her right foot, and her other leg shook, and for a moment she thought she would fall, she thought she would fail, but slowly, slower, she put back it down.

 

One step. Then, two. Then, three. Then, four.

 

She was walking. And when she stopped, four steps ahead, Shuu did not ask her why. Because he could see her shoulders shaking with sobs, and he could see the tears crashing on the floor, and all he could do was smile.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, when the Commander headed out, she asked for him to wait.

 

He turned around and looked at her as she got up, got dressed, did not pick up her Hammer, and then followed him out. He did not try to stop her.

 

Her first step outside was like a liberation. Slowly, she could feel the chains that bound her get weaker. She stopped walking, closed her eyes, and felt the breeze caress her skin, the cool morning air filled her lungs, and life slowly crept back into her.

 

He stopped walking and waited for her. Only when she was ready did he continue leading her to the centre of the town.

 

A dozen hunters were gathered in the Commons, as the locals called this place. And when he stepped in the middle of them, he was the Commander, and he Commanded. His orders were clear, he spoke loudly and firmly, and once he was done everyone knew exactly what they had to do for the day.

 

He stepped down, and she lost sight of him as the other Aces surrounded her.

 

Their smiles warmed her heart, and their words of welcome, of congratulations, meant more to her than she had expected them to. And so their smiles she answered with her own, the first one in what seemed like forever. And when they were separated by their respective tasks, it was Haru who dragged her along, and during that day, she worked.

 

* * *

 

From then on, her days did not consist of a slumber filled with nightmares. She would leave, in the mornings, with the Commander, and would get back, at night, with him as well. And as she got to use her body again, as she started to feel useful again, her recovery went better and better.

 

Soon, Shuu did not have to visit her every day. And then, one day, he came in and unwrapped the bandages around her, and when he was done he did not wrap them back on. She looked at him, puzzled, but he only gave her his kind smile. And for the first time she answered this smile with her own, and she knew, when he left, that he would not come back.

 

She could still feel the nightmares bordering her conscience, but the Commander still spent his nights fighting them off. He never stopped sitting on the chair beside her bed. She was grateful for that.

 

But, finally, after all this time, now that she could work, now that she could do her job and help rebuild and protect Dundorma, she was the Hammer wielder again.

 


	8. Chapter 8

What the Commander had not expected, what he had not realized, is that bringing two fierce, cocky, competitive Hammer wielders together in the same city, working towards the same goal, was _not_ going to end well.

 

The instant Leiko was able to wield her hammer again, all bets were off. Every day was a competition to see who could repair the most walls, who could kill their monster faster, who could bring back the most materials... But the worst, perhaps, was the competition to see who could leap the furthest. Who could make the most impressive jump onto a beast's back.

 

But it wasn't the worst part because it was dangerous, or because it was stupid – it was both of those things, but they weren't the worst – it was because, every time, Leiko _lost_.

 

He had seen her jump countless times. He had seen her land onto an enraged Diablos' back, for fuck's sake. And he knew for a fact that she was better at that than the Kindred Hunter. It might be the only thing she surpassed her in. They swung their hammer with the same strength, although Kyoko (the Kindred Hunter) could swing it with more precision. Their timing was almost identical, but the Caravan's Hunter's was slightly more on point.

 

But, he had to admit it, he had never before seen someone jump like Leiko did. Haru had tried his hand at the Insect Glaive for a time, and even then, using it to propel himself in the air, he hadn't equalled the Hammer wielder's jumping.

 

There was one thing that stopped Leiko. The Commander could see it, because he recognized it from himself.

 

It was the stutter in her step. That so very slight hesitation before she leaped. The way she held herself back instead of throwing herself at the enemy like she had done countless times before. He could see it in her stance, he could see it in her footwork, he could see it in her hits, but, first and foremost, he could see it in her eyes. It was that flash that went through them, like, for a second, she saw her fall again. It was fear.

 

She had never been scared before. That had both been her greatest strength and her greatest weakness. The reason she had saved Haru, and the reason she had fallen. And so, for that lack of fear he had been both grateful and regretful. But now that she was scared, perhaps for the first time in her life, he felt nothing but guilt and sorrow.

 

This time, they were pitted against a Cephadrome. It wasn't exactly too hard of a fight, and they had hunted many of them before: they were one of the most common monsters around these parts. As such, the Commander had planned to bring only Kyoko with him. But Leiko had insisted on coming along as well, and he hadn't wanted to argue with her, and so he had let her come.

 

The instant the monster had been made aware of their presence, it was a race between Hammer wielders as to whom would get to a high place first. Leiko's ingenuity had made her win that race: where Kyoko had run to the more obvious ledge, further away, the Ace had quickly climbed a rocky formation.

 

The Commander had paid them no attention, and his Dual Blades were in his hands in half a second. He was already at the monster's feet when Leiko finished climbing, and once again, like every other time, she couldn't help but be impressed by his way of fighting.

 

He did not fight in a desperate struggle between life and death. He did not seek to crush, nor destroy, or to prove his superiority. His weapons were not a wall between himself and the fangs that could break him.

 

He danced the dance of death. He slashed and hit, fast, precisely, seemingly without a mistake. He had moved before any attack directed towards him could even reach the spot he had stood in. Yes, dance was the word. She was unsure if he was even aware of that fact, of the terrifying gracefulness every single one of his movements showcased. She had her doubts he didn't know.

 

What she didn't see, though, and what made Hana's heart heavy every time she saw the Commander fight, was the stutter in his step. The slight hesitation in every one of his movements. The looks he shot all around him, to his companions. The mistakes his inattention brought in his seemingly perfect choreography. And every time, she couldn't help but remember the man she had known, before he got his scar.

 

Leiko snapped back to attention when she saw the Cephadrome turn towards her. It's like it locked eyes with her, and a chill went down her spine: she cursed it. The monster dove under the ground, it's back fin leaving trails of paralysing toxins behind it. The Hammer wielder saw it come towards her, but there really was no way for her to jump onto it now. She stood there, Hammer in hand, and waited for it.

 

The Cephadrome leaped out of the ground, hitting the rock Leiko stood on with all it's strength and the momentum it's charge had brought it. The impact shook the rocky formation, and she felt it crack, but it did not break. There it was. The perfect opportunity to jump. She could see it clearly, the window she had to make it onto the monster's back. But she did not take it.

 

Because her legs refused to move. Because in her mind was played again the fateful moment she jumped onto the Diablos and she saw herself fall again, and she felt the pain she had felt. She was paralysed, unable to do what she was good at. And when she got back to her senses, the Cephadrome had thrown itself against the rock again, and she felt it break under her feet.

 

When she had seen the Ace climb the rocky formation, Kyoko had turned back and ran towards the monster, instead of trying to climb to a ledge as well. She had, because of that, caught up with the Commander when the pillar of rock was shattered. In a second, he threw his weapons to the side and leaped towards Leiko.

 

He caught her and simultaneously pushed her – and himself – out of the way of a piece of rubble that was about to crush her. He did not turn around, and offered his back to the monster's fangs he knew were coming, but he did not let go of Leiko. And when the fangs and the pain didn't come, only then did he turn around to see the Kindred Hunter unleash a violent blow to the Cephadrome's head, making it recoil a few steps.

 

The Commander let go of the Ace Hammer wielder and she got up. He noticed the shaking of her legs, but he did not comment: he did not have time. He quickly located one of his swords, and dove towards it, rolling as he picked it up. He did not immediately see his other one, as he had to dive again to escape the fangs that would have snatched him otherwise. Only when he saw it, and when Kyoko provided him with an opening to grab it, did he pick up his second blade.

 

The Kindred Hunter and the Commander fought in almost-perfect synchronization. They did not need words to understand each other, and sometimes he would do something that would seem entirely out of place, only for her to execute the exact action that made his action worthwhile. And, for some reason, in this instance, this infuriated Leiko.

 

The Cephadrome was getting weaker and weaker, but also fought with the strength of desperation. This was, they all knew, when a monster got the most dangerous. But when Kyoko was about to land another _perfectly_ placed, _perfectly_ strong, _perfectly perfect_ hit, Leiko's anger overwhelmed her.

 

She jumped to the side, unleashing her own blow on the Cephadrome's head, her hammer colliding with the Kindred Hunter's before it could even hit. Kyoko's momentum was entirely thrown off, sending her to the floor. This gave the monster a perfect opportunity to attack, and it's fangs would have very gravely sunk into the Caravan's Hunter's shoulder had she not had the reflex to duck. Instead, the fangs only scraped her skin, leaving her with a shallow wound.

 

Leiko did not pay attention to that fact, and instead sent her hammer upwards in a blow that sent the monster recoiling, and then brought it back down, crushing it's skull against the ground. She hit it a couple more times than necessary.

 

The Commander had seen everything, and he sheathed his weapons as he walked towards Leiko. He grabbed her shoulder and violently made her spin to face him, and she saw his eyes, consumed by the flames of a brutal anger.

 

“What is WRONG with you?” for the third time, he raised his voice.

 

“What?! I just killed the fucking thing!” Leiko exploded back at him.

 

He pointed to Kyoko, who was getting up, and his features were twisted in rage. This was not like the other times. But this, the Ace Hammer wielder only realized too late.

 

“Why did you DO that?!” he screamed.

 

“Do what?! Win this fucking fight?!”

 

He had never laid a finger on her. Never had any sort of aggressive demeanour towards her. But this time, he grabbed her by the collar, and when she squirmed in pain, he did not so much as loosen his grip.

 

“Have you forgotten, Hammer wielder?! Have you forgotten what I have told you?!”

 

For the first time in her life, she was scared of him. So she did not answer, but he did not see her eyes widen, and he did not feel her shaking under his clutch.

 

“'If you bring about a single scratch in one of your companions, I will personally make you regret your arrogance'! Have you FORGOTTEN, HAMMER WIELDER?!”

 

He threw her forward like a rag doll, and when she hit the ground and looked up to him, tears filled her eyes. He did not see them. And just as he was about to speak again, to unleash his rage upon her some more, Kyoko firmly grabbed his arm. This startled him, enough for her to have the time to put a word in.

 

“Enough, Commander. It's okay.”

 

He shook himself out of her grip and did not speak another word as he turned around and walked back to the town. Leiko watched him leave, the tears falling freely from her eyes, as she could not stop them. In this moment, she was like a child, lost, confused and scared, so scared. And when the Commander was out of her sight, she curled up against the ground, shaking violently, and sobbed.

 


	9. Chapter 9

The sun had just slipped under the horizon when Kyoko brought Leiko back to Dundorma.

 

Well, Kyoko did not bring _Leiko_ back. She only returned with someone trying to be Leiko. Trying to hold her head high, trying to straighten her back, trying to walk with that same confidence which defined her. But what she gave off was defeat, and in her glassy, red eyes was the proof that she had no more tears to shed. Although in those same eyes Hana saw something that tipped her off, and she knew that this was only the calm before the storm, as shone in the Hammer wielder's irises a dull anger and silent rage. She did not, however, address this issue, or even realize it before saying her first words.

 

“What happened?”

 

She did not look worried, instead she seemed slightly angry: Leiko, however, ignored whom this anger was directed at. She did not answer, as she was unsure if the sobs had left her voice. Kyoko was hesitant to speak against – or for – anyone, and instead shot an apologetic look to everyone present as she excused herself to go clean her wound. This was when Hana learned that there had been a wound in the first place, and suddenly everything appeared clearer.

 

“Tell me you didn't...”

 

Leiko only blinked at her.

 

“Ah, shit!” this was the first time the Hammer wielder heard the Gunner swear, and although it surprised her somewhat, she did not let it show.

 

Hana looked to her, then towards the building they all stayed at, and then to Hideaki. He understood and nodded, and she mouthed a quick 'thanks' as she ran off.

 

* * *

 

 

The Lancer had taken care of a, for once, very compliant Leiko, and as he finished quickly inspecting her for wounds he asked her if she would like him to stay with her. She only shook her head, and he excused himself, closing the door behind him. But she did not hear him walk away, and so she knew that he was still standing beside the door.

 

She waited for him to leave before doing anything. And when she heard his footsteps getting further and further, she walked towards the door and opened it herself.

 

She did not know where the Commander would be, as he did not have a room of his own, since he always slept in hers. But if anyone was going to know, it was Hana. But when she got to the Gunner's door and heard her voice, she did not immediately knock. Instead, she listened, to know both what she was saying, and who she was with. And when she heard the Commander's familiar voice, she held her breath.

 

She did not catch much of their conversation. She had trouble hearing correctly through the door, and the Ace Commander spoke softly, like he was scared of being heard. She could only hear Hana speak somewhat clearly, and then again she could not understand much.

 

Only one word caught her attention. But it came as she heard footsteps approach the door, and she quickly slipped away, back to her room.

 

She closed the door behind herself. This, somehow, changed something. And suddenly, an unbearable tiredness overcame her, and she dreaded the thought of confronting him. She decided she would not do so tonight. No, not tonight... Later.

 

“Later,” she repeated after her own thoughts, hoping that this would make them truer.

 

She collapsed in her bed and hoped for a better tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

 

Tomorrow, however, did not want to come.

 

Every time she would finally feel like she was slipping into unconsciousness, the only things that greeted her were visions of her fall, pain, and cold sweats. She would be jolted awake, and had to stop herself from screaming.

 

It seemed sleep was not for tonight. Not... not without _him_ , anyway.

 

She let out a long sigh. In the end, she would confront him sooner rather than later.

 

She got up, the air brushing against her skin giving her chills. Her shirt was soaked with sweat, but she could not find it in her to change. And as she opened the door to her room and went out into the dark hallway, the slow burning of her anger started.

 

She checked every room in the building except the ones she knew were occupied by the other Aces. And when she stood in front of Hana's door, her knuckles came close to knocking, but she stopped herself. An idea sprung in her mind as to where the Commander could be. She would only resort to the Gunner's help if she did not find him there. She would rather do this without anyone knowing about it.

 

Dundorma's streets looked very different when empty. But, somehow, carved in Leiko's brain was the route she had to take. And when she arrived in front of the old, abandoned tower Hana had brought her to on their first day in the city, a calm certainty took her.

 

She tried to climb the stairs silently, but stealth was not exactly her strong suit and the terrain was difficult. She did not expect to get to the roof unnoticed, and when she arrived and saw him sitting with his back to her, she thought he was simply pretending she wasn't there, or waiting for her to speak.

 

She hesitated and stood there for a while. It seemed everything she had planned to say suddenly was irrelevant.

 

But, slowly, at the sight of him, and imperceptibly for her at first, her anger grew. It was not rage, it was not violent as had been his fury towards her: it was silent, cold and gripping, it was almost hate. She wasn't quite sure herself. But when she spoke, her words were full of bitterness.

 

“Why do you like her?”

 

He did not move immediately. She waited. Slowly, he got up, though his movement was uneven, like his left side was weaker. Had he been hurt in the fight? She couldn't remember.

 

He turned to face her: his shoulders where slouched, as if he was physically carrying all of the guilt he kept. His eyes reflected only sorrow, although in his expression she saw something like incomprehension. He did not speak: she took that incomprehension as her answer.

 

“Why do you like her, and not me?”

 

She could feel the tears choking her, but she refused to cry. In her eyes he saw the burning of a silent anger and, although she tried to hide it, her pain. His own eyes darkened as sorrow weighted on him. He stayed silent. She started losing her cool. Seeing him somehow made her heart waver in it's certainty: this was not going as planned.

 

She stared him in the eyes and felt hers fill up with tears. She squeezed them shut in a futile attempt to stop herself from crying. And when she felt the tears run along her cheeks, anger overwhelmed her.

 

“Why, goddammit?! ANSWER ME!”

 

In her scream her voice broke, but through her misty eyes she could not see him falter. He tried to straighten up: he failed. He closed his eyes. She was hurt by his silence. He slowly walked towards her. When he passed her and his arm brushed against her, she flinched. He hid his face so she could not see his pain while he headed to the staircase.

 

“You can't just leave! Tell me! TELL ME!”

 

He suppressed her screams from his mind, tried to convince himself he couldn't hear her.

 

“Don't you dare leave!”

 

He continued walking.

 

“Don't you dare fucking leave!”

 

He could hear her sobs through her words, the wavering of her voice, but he ignored the pain and kept walking. He had almost reached the staircase, almost reached salvation: he kept walking.

 

“AKIO!”

 

He stopped dead in his tracks. She had expected anger at her knowledge of his secret, or even confusion as to how she could have known. But he did not tense up like she had expected, and his shoulders fell, and what she saw in him was not rage, but surrender.

 

Once again, he had failed.

 

Slowly, slower than the first time, he turned around. His eyes were but chasms, empty and filled with sorrow. Through her tears, this time, she saw him falter, and for a second she thought he would fall to his knees. He opened his mouth.

 

“Do you know why I hide my name?”

 

She did not speak. He took her silence for his answer.

 

“Names have meaning, Leiko.”

 

And, somehow, she understood what he meant when hers passed his lips.

 

“When someone gives you their name, they give you a part of themselves.”

 

He spoke slowly, almost softly, and his voice was filled only with the same sorrow that had his eyes.

 

“And when you know someone's name, a particular bond exists between you.”

 

She mistook this for an admission of his dislike of her, of his dislike of so many people; of his refusal to be associated with any of them. But his eyes were still hollow with pain, and as he spoke, it seemed like his guilt was getting heavier.

 

“And when someone you have such a bond with gets hurt or dies, you feel pain.”

 

Her eyes widened slightly. Slowly, things started making sense. She took a step towards him. He did not back up.

 

He did not speak a word more. She stared him in the eyes, withstood the sorrow drowning him like she was a rock amongst the waves. Slowly eroding, but still standing.

 

“That's not how it works,” she spoke softly.

 

The look he gave her was incomprehension. She gave him a slight smile, though her face was stained with tears.

 

“It doesn't matter that they don't know your name. If you died, Hideaki, Haru and Kyoko” – she guessed the Kindred Hunter did not know: she guessed right – “would still hurt. It doesn't matter to them that they only know you as 'the Commander': they still care about you.”

 

She saw a spark of understanding in his eyes, although it only led to their darkening. The weight of his guilt, of his pain seemed to finally crush him, and he fell to his knees with a thud. But he did not cry. He did not move or acknowledge her presence when she knelt down beside him.

 

In this night, she would stay beside him. Perhaps it was her turn to fight off his nightmares.

 


	10. Chapter 10

When Hana woke up alone in her room, she had doubts. And when she went to check on Leiko and found her room bare of any presence, she knew. She had not dreamed the shadow under her door, it seemed, although she knew that at the time, Akio had not seen it. She knew this would change some things, perhaps a lot of things, but she didn't know exactly what. A bittersweet smile played on her lips. Perhaps the Hammer wielder would be able to do what she could not.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun had almost entirely emerged from the horizon when the Ace Commander and Hammer wielder headed back. They did not speak, in fact they had not spoken since Leiko's last words about the wrongness of his ways, but as she intended to bring him back to the building they all stayed in, he had stubbornly dragged her to the centre of the town. She had not tried to fight him: this was not the time.

 

He was the Commander, and he Commanded. That she had seen before. But when they arrived in the Commons, that morning, she had not expected him to Command. Because she knew he was broken, entirely so, and she had not heard his voice in what seemed like forever, and she thought it would sound as he was. But when he got up and everyone turned to face him, they did not see a broken man.

 

He did not show them a broken man. He showed them a leader, a rock, someone who would always stand his ground and never give them up. A compass they could all follow, that would point them to the right direction. A man they could trust with their life, a man who would bring them to the end of the world, a man who would go through hell and back for and with them. He was the light in their darkness, the one who guided them through it and out. He had everything under control, down to the smallest detail. He was their saviour, and he would never back down.

 

And as Leiko watched him speak, as she listened to his words, even she was fooled, and forgot that he was the one who needed saving. In front of her did not stand the shell of a shattered man she had knelt beside all night: in front of her stood an entire town's hope, and he stood tall and proud. She did not realize it, but she found great comfort in his words, and for a fleeting moment her heart was settled, and all her doubts washed away. He made her forget that he was broken, and in the same way, he made her forget that she was broken, too.

 

He stepped down, and reality came back to her. The contrast hit her like a wave, and the only thing that kept her from collapsing was Hana's coming up to her. The Gunner gave her a slight smile which she did not understand. She was about to speak, but Akio joined them and spoke first.

 

“You are not required to work today, Leiko.” A weird feeling sat in her stomach when he said her name. “I deem you have already worked quite enough.”

 

He did not smile at her – not that she had expected him to – but his face adorned an expression she could not quite decipher. She could, however, see the guilt flash in his eyes. She averted her gaze from him, to the side, and stared uncomfortably at something or other as she answered.

 

“I'm... I'll go check up on Kyoko.”

 

She did not speak a word more as she scurried away, and Hana was not quite sure if her traits expressed shame or anger. Perhaps a mix of both. She turned to the Commander.

 

“We need to talk,” she said.

 

She had expected compliance: instead, she saw his eyes go dark and his face grow weary, his shoulders slouching a bit, like he closed in on himself.

 

“No, we don't.”

 

His voice was not harsh, but firm, and in it echoed the words he had uttered in a time they both remembered too vividly. He attempted an apologetic look to her, but all she saw was his guilt, and he slipped away before she could stop him.

 

* * *

 

 

She sat on the edge of her bed, that night, and waited for him.

 

She was scared that he would not come. That he would not deem to show his face, either out of shame, or out of guilt, or out of anger, or even out of fear: at this point she knew not what went through his heart, although she knew of his pain. A piece of the puzzle of him was added to her mind the night before, but so many were still missing.

 

And she was scared, too, because she still had her questions to ask, and while she was terrified of the answer, she was even more terrified of being left in the dark. So she sat, and she waited. The silence wrapped itself around her, holding her in it's clutch, and fear held her heart. She had gotten used to his presence at this time of day, and the lack of it troubled her.

 

She sighed. When had it come to this?

 

She could, however, not wallow in her somber thoughts any longer, as his familiar knock sounded on the door: she got up and opened it for him. He stood in front of her, slightly surprised, as if he had not expected her to let him in, and it took him a moment to register what was happening and to enter the room as she had invited him to. She had gone back to sitting on the edge of her bed, and after closing the door behind him, he let himself fall into the wooden chair beside her.

 

He did not look at her, only stared out of the window, and she did not speak: she was gathering her courage. She did not expect him to speak, however as she looked to the window and the night sky she heard his voice.

 

“You should know that I am grateful for your silence,” he said.

 

She shot him an interrogating look.

 

“About my name.”

 

She nodded slightly. The reveal of this was not her decision to make, and she was aware of that. Besides, she still had her questions to ask him, and ruining the meek trust he might have in her would not help in his answering.

 

That, and, perhaps, she did not want to see him fall like he had the night before. She preferred the man he presented to everyone else, the wall he was for them. Knowing that he was as human as any of them changed her image of him, and although it helped her understand him in some way, she regretted having lost this unattainable man, who's presence inevitably made her feel safer. She was, perhaps, like a child who has just learned of their parent's humanity, although she had this advantage over a child where she could repress this new knowledge, and pretend he had no weaknesses. At least for a time, to help him fight off her nightmares.

 

They spent a moment in silence, he because he had nothing left to say, and her because she hesitated. He still looked stubbornly at the window, he did not spare a glance at her, although she did not know if this was out of disdain or out of shame. She let out a sigh.

 

“You still haven't answered my question.”

 

He turned to her, and she saw that he was about to fake incomprehension, but he gave up on it. Instead, he closed his eyes, like he could not handle seeing her, and she saw him tense up. Like he was about to leave. This was now or never. She reiterated.

 

“Why? Why her, and not me? We are so much alike. So why?”

 

This situation was quite different from the previous night, but she could still feel the tears slowly filling her eyes. He had his closed, he could not see her, but she knew he could hear the slight wavering of her voice. Still, he got up, slowly, and walked to the door. Step by step, like every time he lifted his foot up he had to lift a mountain.

 

“You can't keep running away.”

 

She had intended it as a threat, but it sounded more like a request. He laid his hand on the doorknob, but did not twist it.

 

“Akio, _please,_ ” she pleaded.

 

And in her voice he heard her sobs, and he decided that he was not worth it. His hand fell back along his side. He did not turn around.

 

“That is not how it is.”

 

She waited for him to explain himself. They stayed in silence for a moment; she let him gather his thoughts. Even though this was not what she had expected him to say, and even though she was entirely puzzled, she would let him explain himself.

 

“She has... succeeded where I have failed. She has saved me, Haru and Hideaki, and perhaps even the world.”

 

He paused.

 

“She cannot be under my protection. You, on the other hand...”

 

She saw him clench his fists, his shoulders tensed up, and she could guess the regret and anger in his eyes.

 

“I have failed to protect you numerous times. I have failed to stop you from doing the mistakes I have made. I...”

 

He stopped himself. She looked to him, hopeful, perhaps, that he would tell her more, but his lips were sealed.

 

“I have already said too much.”

 

And with those words he grabbed the handle once again, and twisted it. Then, he felt her warm grip on his wrist, her hand wrapping around it, softly but firmly. Her presence behind his back he had not noticed, but he could feel now.

 

“Stay,” she whispered. “Please. I need you to fight off my nightmares.”

 

This was the only thing that could have made him stay. And although she had had her doubts that was the case, fear had still gripped her throat when her hand had grabbed him. He did not move, but she saw his shoulders relax ever so slightly. Slowly, he let go of the handle and turned around to face her. She offered him a tiny smile.

 

“Thank you.”

 

She slept, that night, knowing that he was there to stay.

 


	11. Chapter 11

The door was thrown open and crashed against the wall in a bang, and Akio jolted to his feet, letting go of Leiko's hand.

 

In front of him stood a panicked Hana, breathing heavily, like she had just run a mile. Immediately, his mind jumped to the worst case scenario, and it's implications paralysed him. The Gunner caught her breath.

 

“It's Masato... He... He...”

 

She saw his eyes widen, the fear that filled them, his entire body tensed up, he looked like he was both about to run away and to jump at her, at anything, and tear it to shreds.

 

“He's okay, he's okay _right now_ ,” he did not relax, but he did not look like he was about to destroy everything around him anymore, “but there's a Monoblos. It's approaching the ship he's on, _fast_.”

 

“Everyone meet at the Commons, right this instant.”

 

She could not hear the panic in his voice – he had grown excellent at hiding it – but she knew it was there, and so she simply nodded and bolted off.

 

He picked up his equipment, but the blood rushing to his ears prevented him from hearing the rustling of the bed sheets indicating that Leiko was getting up, and gearing up as well. He shot a look behind him as he exited the room, and she nodded to him as she put her armour on; their eyes met, but she could not decipher the emotion in his eyes.

 

The Aces and the Kindred Hunter were all gathered in the centre of the city before five minutes had passed. And as they were all together and ready for action, they all looked to the Commander, confident he had already devised a plan to get them out of this mess. And so he had.

 

“We will divide ourselves in two groups; two people will stay here to protect the city in case anything happens, and the rest of us will go and confront the Monoblos. We do not have much time.”

 

He had everyone's attention, and he knew it; he turned to Leiko.

 

“Leiko and Haru will stay in the town and protect it.”

 

He had expected her to protest, but when she did not and relief flashed in her eyes, he did not think much of it, other than the fact that this was unusual. But the Gunner knew, and she refused to let someone else fall prey to their own fear if she could help it.

 

“I'll stay,” she piped up.

 

Akio turned to her.

 

“No, Hana, I need a gunner...”

 

She cut him off.

 

“Trust me, I will stay here. You're a genius tactician, you'll manage to find a new plan.”

 

And as she shot him a serious look, he knew better than to argue with her. He also knew that she was certainly doing this for a reason, and he trusted her judgement more than he trusted himself.

 

“Alright.”

 

“No, Hana, really, there's no need...”

 

In Leiko's eyes shone fear once again, and she took a step towards the Gunner, almost pleading. The black woman had none of it.

 

“Listen, Leiko. You're going to go out there, and you're going to kick this Monoblos' ass, you hear me?”

 

And although the Hammer wielder knew better than to go against the Gunner in a moment like this, she opened her mouth and was about to protest; Hana cut her off.

 

“I need you to to make sure that he,” she pointed to Akio, “doesn't do anything stupid.”

 

And although the Ace Hammer wielder did not understand why this task had to be hers, and although she did not realize that this was exactly the only thing that could have made her go, she nodded.

 

“...Okay.”

 

* * *

 

 

Leiko was scared. In fact, she was terrified. The Monoblos' scream was so close to the Diablos', everything about it was so similar. Every time she blinked, she saw the Diablos. Her entire mind was clouded in a thick fog of fear, her moves were slow and sluggish. Every step, every hit, every thing she did felt wrong and out of place.

 

Akio noticed this, and he fought close to her at all times. When she made a mistake, he stepped in and fixed it; when her timing was off, he deflected the blow that was about to hit her; when she could not hit hard enough, he struck harder. But she did not notice this. She was trapped in her own mind, she could hardly understand what was happening around her.

 

She had pretended not to spot the ledge which she could easily climb to jump onto the beast's back, and always positioned herself so that the monster was in between her and it. But her reflexes lacked, and when she was cornered and had a choice between being impaled by a huge horn or climbing, she chose the latter.

 

She stood and looked at the battle from her new vantage point. The three hunters below her were fighting with great skill, because the fate of an entire city rested on their shoulders. The pressure that laid on them, Leiko felt it too, and it made the atmosphere tense. She had to jump. She knew it, she had to jump, so that her companions could fight the beast with more ease. But she couldn't. Even if she had wanted to, her legs refused to move.

 

Then, Kyoko made a mistake. She rarely made them, but in this instant she misstepped, and the Monoblos charged.

 

Hideaki was on the other side of it; he could not make it in time. Akio, on the other hand, would. He would make it in time to save the Kindred Hunter. He would push her out of the way, but no one would be there to save him.

 

He leaped. He ran towards her, throwing his weapons aside, and in his eyes burned a flame, a fierceness he showcased in no other moment. He tackled her, shoving her to the side, safe from the hit that would have surely killed her. And when that was done, when she was out of harm's way and he saw the hit approaching him fast, the hit that would kill him, the man with no name, in his eyes shone not a flame or fear. For a second, there was only in his pupils a certainty, and he accepted his fate.

 

In this moment, as Akio stared at his end, Leiko realized that there was a single thing which she feared more than death.

 

And so she jumped. And as she was in the air, there was this second where she thought she would not make it. But she did. The impact with the monster's back was hard, and in her mind ran a thousand incoherent thoughts and images.

 

The Monoblos' hide under her fingers felt as the Diablos' had on that fateful day. Flashes of her fall, of her pain hit her, blinded her; all she could see was them. And again, once again, the beast's horn tore at her flesh, and the pain came back, oh, the pain, it filled her entire body, and she tried to scream but she couldn't.

 

She forgot how to control her body, how to breathe, and she let go of her grip on the beast's back and was thrown off like a rag doll.

 

Akio did not take the time to realize that he was still alive and let out an anguished roar as the Hammer wielder flew towards the ground. As he leaped to reach her all of the muscles in his body worked towards one goal and one goal only, he was but a beast, an entity which existed only to accomplish this action, only to catch this falling body.

 

And when she hit him his arms closed in around her and she clung to him, gripped his body as if he was the lone piece of driftwood keeping her afloat on a stormy sea. She gasped for air and panted and wheezed and heaved, and she sobbed but no tears fell from her eyes. She shook violently, like her body was fighting her mind, her grip on him was strong but she could hardly control her movements.

 

He held her and he did not let her go, even as the Monoblos came towards them he offered it his back so that she would not be harmed, and he was prepared to be impaled, to feel the monster's horn dig into his back and snap his bones, but the pain never came, and through the blood rushing to his ears he did not hear the screeching of the beast's horn against the Lancer's shield. It broke and flew backwards, into the Monoblos' head, and with a swift strike from her Hammer Kyoko sunk it into it's skull.

 

Leiko did not stand but Akio fell, although he did not let her go. And as he held her shaking frame against himself, as his arms were wrapped around her and as she clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her alive, tears dripped down his face like a waterfall.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Slowly, as they held each other, Leiko calmed down. And as she calmed down, Akio's tears ran dry. Kyoko had gone back to Dundorma as to not worry anyone, and Hideaki sat a bit further away as he waited for the Commander and Hammer wielder to get up.

 

The sun was dead over their heads when Leiko's shaking finally completely stopped. She took a deep breath, as if gathering her courage, before softly breaking away from Akio's embrace. He let her go without any sort of resistance, and they both got up unsteadily, although they did not support each other.

 

Hideaki got to his feet with a slight grunt, and he turned to the two Aces with a warm smile.

 

“Are you ready to go back?” he asked.

 

The Commander straightened up and walked over to his Dual Blades, sheathing them as he picked them up. He turned to Leiko, his gaze inspected her, as if assessing her state of being. She took a deep breath, once again, and straightened up as well. She nodded. He turned back to the Lancer.

 

“Let us go at once. There is still much work to be done.”

 

* * *

 

 

During the walk back, it seemed as if Leiko was slowly building herself back up, gathering all of the pieces of herself that had been strewn around by her breakdown. Every step she took, she seemed to get better, her confidence slowly coming back. When they all passed through Dundorma's gate, no one could have guessed the events that had previously transpired.

 

The Commons were filled with people, and as such the three Aces had to slowly make their way to the crowd to get to the Master of Defense. He sat in the middle of the square, it seemed he was discussing with the many people here to welcome him. Leiko thought she had seen Hana, Haru and Kyoko standing beside him as well, but amongst the crowd she wasn't sure if it was really them.

 

They finally made their way to the centre, and immediately the Hammer wielder noticed a shift in the Commander's stance. Before stepping in, he hesitated, and although she could not see his face she knew for a fact that this meant something was amiss. She frowned.

 

The Master of Defense's face lit up as his eyes met Akio's. He struggled to get up, and as he did she noticed the Commander's ever so slight flinch. Her frown deepened.

 

Masato walked over to them, using some sort of umbrella as a cane. He stopped in front of Akio, and looked him up and down as if sizing him up. When he was done, he gave a proud smile and slapped the Commander's shoulder.

 

“You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you, lad!”

 

It was at this moment that Hana stepped up from behind him, smiling, and put her hand on the older man's shoulder. He turned his head to her.

 

“I see you've been taking good care of him.”

 

She chuckled, but it sounded almost nervous, like she was trying to hide discomfort.

 

“Of course.”

 

The three of them stood there, looking at each other. And even though Masato and the Gunner were all smiles, nothing could dissipate this uneasy feeling Leiko got from this reunion. In Hana's eyes shone a certain sadness, and although she tried her best to look normal, she faked her smile to hide something, that much was obvious. In Akio's eyes was a distant look, like he was somewhere else entirely. The Hammer wielder almost reached out to him, but before she could he seemed to come back to reality, and she clearly saw him slip his mask back on.

 

“I am pleased that you are finally here, safe. It is good to see you again.”

 

Nobody expected a smile from him, but they all saw that the sorrow in his eyes was immensely deeper than usual. And although nothing else seemed amiss, Leiko noticed the so very slight shaking of his legs. Her frown deepened. She did not, however, have time to shoot Hana an interrogating look, as the Commander turned to her.

 

“I know you have met Hideaki,” he begun, “But you have never been introduced to our Ace Hammer wielder: this is Leiko.”

 

The Master of Defense offered her a polite smile and she returned the favour, nodding ever so slightly. He stepped forward to shake her hand.

 

“A fine young woman, I see. I am sure you are quite the hunter.”

 

The Hammer wielder gave a slight smile.

 

“Thank you.”

 

They all stood in awkward silence for a few seconds until Haru intervened.

 

“Well, there's still a lot of work to do around here, so I wouldn't want to interrupt this reunion, but we should all probably get back to work. Mister Masato, I'll show you around the city, and our installations.”

 

The Master of Defense nodded and followed suit. Kyoko slipped away as she muttered some excuse or other, and Hideaki left to go back to his work. The crowd around them dispersed as Masato was gone, and soon enough Hana, Akio and Leiko were left alone in the middle of the Commons.

 

The Commander only stared blankly in the distance, his legs still shaking slightly. He excused himself after a few seconds, and the Gunner was about to do the same but the Hammer wielder stopped her. Her eyes shone with worry.

 

“We need to talk.”

 

Hana only sighed.

 

“Let's go to my room.”

 

* * *

 

 

The door clicked softly as the Gunner closed it behind her. She let out a long sigh, her shoulders slouching slightly, and she looked like she wanted to collapse and was using the door to keep herself upright. She sighed again.

 

“What the fuck is happening?” Leiko broke the silence.

 

Hana gave a bitter smile, but she did not answer. Instead, she let silence fill the room as she walked over to the lone chair in the room and fell onto it, letting out another sigh.

 

“It's... complicated.”

 

The Hammer wielder walked to the Gunner, standing in front of her and looking at her, worry still filling her gaze.

 

“Help me out here, Hana. Please. Who is he?”

 

It almost seemed like every breath that crossed the black woman's lips was a sigh. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, only to open them back up and stare into Leiko's eyes.

 

“Masato. Our mentor.”

 

“Your mentor?”

 

She nodded. The Hammer wielder took some time to think about what this implied. She also took care to note that this must have been how the Gunner and the Commander had met.

 

“Your mentor, who used to be a prominent hunter,” - that much she knew, having heard about it from some of the townspeople - “was wounded and subsequently crippled,” Hana winced at the word, “and, somehow, this has something to do with Akio.”

 

She realized too late that she had used his name, but instead of the surprise, perhaps the indignation she had expected, the Gunner had no reaction other than an indecipherable look. This made Leiko realize Hana probably knew much more about many things than what she let on.

 

It took some time for her to answer, as if she was gathering her thoughts, or perhaps deciding what to say. She subtly bit her lip.

 

“It has something to do with many things.”

 

The Hammer wielder did not speak, leaving the Gunner time to explain herself.

 

“None of which are mine to tell you about. I wasn't there.”

 

In those last words sounded a strong bitterness, but Leiko did not comment. She simply stared at Hana, lost in her own thoughts. She had so many questions, but she knew that she couldn't ask her. Like she had said, those things were not hers to reveal. And although she doubted Akio would be much more willing to talk about this, she knew that she would not get any more answers from the Gunner. She let out a sigh as she walked out, but before closing the door behind her she looked back.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Then, Hana was left alone, and she told herself Leiko would be able to do what she could not.

 


	13. Chapter 13

She heard him walk towards the door before he started opening it, but only sat straight up once she had heard the latch click behind him. He never spared her a glance, stared right in front of himself as he stumbled to his chair and collapsed on it, the handles of his Dual Blades making a clinking noise as they hit the back of the seat. And then, once he had crashed, he curled up against himself and buried his face in his hands.

 

Tonight, Leiko decided, she would ask no questions.

 

She watched him as his heavy breathing made his shoulders heave up and down, and even though she knew he wasn't crying, because he wouldn't, or perhaps because he had run out of tears, it made no difference. He sat there, and he was broken and fragile and vulnerable, and she was so scared any move she would make would shatter him.

 

She got up in silence, but he remained perfectly still, and she wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't heard her move, couldn't feel her beside him or simply because he didn't want to. Slowly, she reached for his back, where his Dual Blades still hung, and she undid the buckle that kept them attached to his armour. She laid them on the floor softly, but through it all he did not move an inch, only his shoulders still moved with every one of his breaths.

 

She slid in front of him like a ghost. When she knelt down, he did not react. Softly, she laid her forehead on top of his knees, yet he did not acknowledge her in any way. But as she remained still, slowly, she heard his breathing align with hers, and she could not feel anymore the heaving of his shoulders.

 

She felt him shift, but she did not move. She only felt his fingers run through her hair as he leaned towards her and softly rested his forehead on the back of her head. He let out a sigh, and she felt his warm breath against her skin.

 

As they breathed together, they were not alone.

 

* * *

 

 

He slid his mask back on as they left, the next morning.

 

He gave his speech as usual, and once more she was impressed by just how fast, just how easily he became the Commander. Every time she saw him like this, for a moment, she forgot he was but a broken man. He gave her hope. He gave all of them hope.

 

Then, when he stepped down, she could see him becoming Akio again, and she dreamed of a day when he would not have to. He shot her a look as he headed to work, and she gave a slight smile as she turned around to continue building the walls around the city.

 

She was interrupted, a few hours later, by an out of breath worker.

 

“Are you the Ace Hammer wielder?” he asked.

 

She nodded. The lad seemed young, perhaps slightly younger than she was, and extremely antsy. He nodded back at her as he caught his breath.

 

“The Commander wants to see you. He said to meet him in the Commons.”

 

“Okay, thank you.”

 

She wiped the sweat off her brow and picked up her Hammer, which she had laid to the side as she worked. She wondered what Akio could want from her at this time. She doubted it was for a hunt, as he always asked everyone and anyone else before he asked her. She had to be the one who decided that she would accompany him, or anyone who went out, or else she would never hunt. He was always reluctant to send her out.

 

When she arrived in the Commons, he was already there, and immediately she noticed something was amiss. He was looking around nervously, she thought at first, searching for her, but when his eyes met hers it was not relief that she saw, but fear. She walked up to him, brows creased.

 

“Hey. Something the matter?”

 

He shook his head but he took a second to, she assumed, pull himself together. He had probably intended for her not to see it, and as such she did not make any further comment on the issue.

 

“A Pink Rathian has been sighted roaming nearby: we are to take care of it.”

 

She nodded.

 

“Let's go.”

 

* * *

 

 

The irregularity was subtle, and Leiko was convinced that anyone else – except, perhaps, Hana – would have noticed nothing, and he would have fooled them. But she could not be fooled as easily.

 

It was the slight stutter in his step, the slight jerkiness of every one of his movements. He danced the dance of death, as always, but his rhythm was slightly off, his precision lacking, he wasn't quite as fast or quite as graceful as usual. But most of all, he was not focused on the hunt, on the Rathian's movement and how to dodge her attacks: he was distracted, constantly shooting glances at the Hammer wielder.

 

She thought, at first, that it was because of their last hunt and the way it had ended. But in this fight, she felt the flow of the hunt come back to her, and for the first time since her accident, her Hammer felt significantly easier to wield as she fought beside the Commander. As such, she wanted to prove to him that he needn't worry.

 

She spotted a ledge and climbed it, and when she jumped, there was no hesitation in her step. When she landed onto the Rathian's back, adrenaline rushed through her, and she roared with laughter because it surprised her. She found again, in this instant, when there was no fear in her heart, the joy of hunting. But as her hit made the Lady of the Earth collapse, allowing her to dismount it, she looked over to Akio, and in his eyes still shone some sort of terror.

 

As they continued fighting, his fear did not subside, and he still focused not on the hunt, but on Leiko. He made mistake upon mistake, she could see it clearly, and even though it worried her she did not think he would put himself in danger. But, this time, as he looked to her he did not notice the Rathian's small, mean eyes focus on him, and he only realized too late that it's fangs were coming his way.

 

She leaped towards him, but as her Hammer hit slightly too late and the beast's teeth sunk into her arm, she realized that the fear in his eyes was not for himself, but for her, and it had just been made a reality. He let out an angered roar and threw himself at the Rathian, blades bare, and with a quick jab he pierced the monster's right eye: it did not have the time to react, as his second blade came from under it's head and pierced it's skull with a brutality Leiko had never seen in the Commander.

 

He took his weapons out of the Rathian's head before it even hit the ground, and let them go as he turned to the Hammer wielder, who was still clutching her arm. Her eyes were wide open in both surprise and some kind of fright: he wrongly assumed that the Lady of the Earth was the cause of this.

 

He snatched her arm away from her and held it in a tight grip – she only resisted weakly and he did not hear her yelp in pain – then inspected it. Her wounds were not deep, and she was not in any danger. He looked up to her.

 

Only when his eyes met hers did he see that what frightened her was nothing but _him_ , and only then did he realize what had just happened.

 

He let go of her arm and stumbled backwards. She watched him as he fell to his knees, as one thought, and one thought only held his mind.

 

He had failed. Again.

 

He looked at her; his eyes were chasms of sorrow, and, once more, his guilt crushed him. He could not hold himself upright any longer; his entire body toppled forward. His forehead hit the ground but he stopped his own fall with his fists, and the sand dug into his flesh.

 

He let out an anguished cry, it's echoes getting lost amongst the dunes.

 

She knelt beside him, and reached out to put her hand on his shoulder. He jolted upright, pushing her hand back, and when his eyes met hers his pain overwhelmed her.

 

“Don't!”

 

His voice was broken, and she was so surprised that she did not react. He wanted to flee, she could see it in the tenseness of his every muscle, but he did not find the courage to do so. And so they did not move, and they looked at each other, and she wished that she could take his pain away. The silence between them grew and brought them apart.

 

“Talk to me, Akio,” she pleaded.

 

He closed his eyes and gave up. Tears slid along his face as he sobbed silently.

 

“I should not be alive.”

 

Her blood froze in her veins and her heart sunk, she wanted so badly to hold him in her arms but she waited.

 

“We were hunting a Rathian. It was a routine hunt. I did not think anything could go wrong. I never thought anything could go wrong, because I thought I was invincible.”

 

She held her breath.

 

“A Kushala Daora appeared. I thought I could take it down. I was arrogant. I thought nothing could beat me, nothing could break me. I went against it head-on: it struck me, I was at it's mercy. Then...”

 

He sobbed.

 

“Then, my mentor took the hit for me.”

 

Tears started rolling down her face.

 

“I should not be alive,” he repeated. “And, to this day, I don't know why he saved my life, at the cost of what he loved most.”

 

He opened his eyes and stared into Leiko's.

 

“I am so, so sorry.”

 

She wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but she did not comment.

 

“Please, can you leave me?”

 

There was not much she could refuse him. She got to her feet, slowly, and picked up her Hammer. But as she passed him, she knelt beside him. She couldn't leave him entirely alone.

 

So she softly lifted his chin, leaned in, and she left him with her kiss.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

She waited for him. The sun had fallen under the horizon long ago, but still she waited.

 

She looked out the window and to the sky, like she was searching for him amongst the stars. She could still feel the taste of his lips on hers, it was like a tingle that had not left ever since she had kissed him. She still couldn't believe she had done so, it seemed almost unreal, but what felt weirdest was the fact that he hadn't pushed her away. She wasn't sure why he had kissed her back: was it out of despair? Because he had been too surprised to do anything other? Or for another reason?

 

Even though those questions crossed her mind briefly, they were not what she was thinking about. What she thought of was his pain, the suffering she had seen in his eyes. Something greater than she had ever found in him. She had thought she had seen him at his most broken, but now she knew that his pain was always deeper than she could reach.

 

Even so, it explained many things. Her understanding of him finally felt more complete, yet there was no satisfaction to be taken from it. She understood now why he was the way he was, why he acted the way he did, and even why he had treated her as he had. It gave her perspective on all of the times, all of the ways he had hurt her. But all of that held little relevance, because it did not tell her how to fix him.

 

His familiar knock interrupted her train of thought. She quickly walked over and opened the door for him.

 

When he saw her, he was taken by some kind of stupor, like he hadn't expected her to be there or to open the door. In his eyes still shone a sharp pain, although it seemed to be duller than what she had seen earlier.

 

For a second, she lost herself in his eyes, in his pain, in everything he was and everything he was not. She wanted to kiss him again, so bad, but something stopped her. She didn't know what, exactly, but she just couldn't. Perhaps it was his stare. The one he couldn't stop, because he doubted everything. He wanted to do so many things, the right thing, but for a moment he didn't know what that was.

 

He snapped out of it first, and took a step backwards, averting his gaze from her. She blinked twice, before stepping back as well, and inviting him in. He hesitated for a second, and she frowned very slightly.

 

He closed the door behind him, but did not walk to his chair. He hovered near the exit, taking care not to look at Leiko. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but he let out a sigh, closed his eyes, and spoke first.

 

“This was a mistake.”

 

This was the first hit he gave her, and she flinched ever so slightly. But he did not see it, and she suspected this was exactly the reason he had closed his eyes.

 

“What was?” she asked, tentatively. She had meant her voice to sound much calmer than it did.

 

“Everything.”

 

This was the second hit, and she could not take her eyes off of him. She wanted to turn around, to offer him her back, even though he couldn't see it. He opened his eyes, but looked elsewhere.

 

“You should not have to carry my burdens. And I regret placing them onto you.”

 

She tried to interrupt him, but the words fell out of his mouth like a waterfall; there was no way she could stop him.

 

“I have put you in danger several times out of incompetence. You have gotten hurt because of me in the past, and I refuse to let it continue.”

 

He took a deep breath, and in it's shaking sounded the only weakness he was unable to suppress.

 

“I refuse to have you carry my burdens. I refuse to drag you down with me.”

 

“Akio...” she started.

 

“Please, don't make this harder than it already is.”

 

He had not mean to let this slip. He squeezed his eyes shut as he spoke.

 

“I apologize.”

 

Slowly, he turned around, and put a hand on the door handle. For a second, he expected Leiko's hand on his wrist.

 

“Good night, Leiko.”

 

He did not look back. And as he closed the door behind him, as he walked away, further and further from the Hammer wielder, he tried to suppress from his mind the feeling of her kiss that still tingled on his lips.

 

* * *

 

 

When Akio and Leiko did not arrive at the Commons together, Hana had doubts that something was wrong. And when the Hammer wielder arrived showcasing dark circles around her eyes and looking like she hadn't slept at all, she knew.

 

Usually, when he Commanded, the Commander's gaze was always drawn to Leiko, and he would end up looking at her most of the time. But that morning, he took extra care not to look in her general direction, looking everywhere else in the crowd. He also dodged Hana's stare, which indicated that he already knew that she would confront him about this.

 

When he stepped down, the Gunner bee-lined towards him, fast. He did not even try to run: he knew this was inevitable. She did not speak a word when she got to him, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him towards her room. She wasn't intending to make a show of his private life, but he had no way out of this.

 

* * *

 

 

“What happened?”

 

She spoke as soon as the door was closed behind her. Akio had his back to her, but he stared straight ahead.

 

“I couldn't go on like this,” he said.

 

The Gunner let out a sigh. She crossed her arm on her chest and awaited an explanation. When it didn't come, she pressed on.

 

“Go on like what?”

 

“I couldn't have her carry my burdens.”

 

“What?”

 

The Commander turned around, and she saw the pain in his eyes had, somehow, gotten deeper than ever before. She was taken aback, but thankfully not surprised enough to let it show.

 

“I told her about Masato, Hana. I told her everything.”

 

She stared into his eyes, trying to find in them what he wasn't saying. He hesitated, she could clearly see it, but before she could press him on further, he opened his mouth with a sigh.

 

“And then... Then she kissed me.”

 

Everything suddenly fell into place. The Gunner's eyes widened, but not out of surprise, although this was very much surprising. She took a step towards a slightly puzzled Akio, in whom's eyes she could see the longing he was putting himself through, lifted her hand up, and slapped him.

 

The sound of her hand against his cheek echoed in the empty room for a moment. He looked at her, eyes wide like he hadn't quite registered what had just happened. He stood there, mouth agape, and if the situation had been any different the dumb look on his face would surely have made Hana laugh. Instead, she looked at him, and seethed with an anger he hadn't seen in her for a long time.

 

“She reached out to you, and you _left her_?!”

 

He did not answer, he did not understand. He looked puzzled, and the Gunner sighed, exasperated.

 

“ _She_ , of all people, reached out to _you_ when you told her about your lowest moment, and you let go of her and left her with her nightmares?!”

 

She had pushed exactly the right button, and anger flared up in him like a violent flame reflected in his eyes.

 

“I have to protect her!” he exploded.

 

She noted he had said “have to” instead of “trying to”. Still, indignation and exasperation filled her, and she pointed an accusing finger at him.

 

“You're not protecting her! You're only hurting her more!”

 

He shut his eyes and roared.

 

“I can't drag her down with me!”

 

She was not taken aback by his anger: she had seen him in worse shape and worse situations. Yet he was extremely imposing when he was like this, and he tried to tower over her. She had none of it.

 

“You can't run away either!”

 

She knew him too well not to know what this was really about. He wavered; in his eyes flickered a spark of doubt, and he did not retort immediately. She took the opening.

 

“You're not helping her by leaving her,” she said in a slightly softer voice. “You're only trying to flee her because you're scared.”

 

He took a step back, but she wasn't sure he even noticed it. She knew she had his weakness, and she knew she could plant the seed of reason in his mind.

 

“You're scared you'll lose her, because you know it'll hurt. You've never been able to keep her at arms length like you do all of us, have you?”

 

He did not answer. She hadn't expected him to.

 

“You're scared, so you're trying to run. That's what a coward would do.”

 

In his eyes shone shame, and his gaze fell to the ground. She lifted his chin and looked at him, then gave a slight smile.

 

“But you're not a coward. You've never been a coward.”

 

He had the look of someone who didn't quite believe her. Yet she knew she had his attention, so she continued.

 

“You can't keep running from her, Akio.”

 

He took a step back, and his stare slid to the side as he dodged hers. The tenseness he had accumulated because of his outburst was suddenly let out, and his shoulders fell. In the blink of an eye, he didn't look so imposing, or menacing at all anymore.

 

“I can't keep hurting her,” he said. It sounded like both a decision and a plea.

 

Hana gave a warm smile.

 

“You're not going to.”

 


	15. Chapter 15

There was hide under her fingers but she couldn't hear anything she couldn't see anything she didn't know. She didn't know what was happening but she hit and hit and hit and then she thought I could get up and she did and it hit her.

 

She was thrown in the air, she could see the ground approaching fast but all she could think about was Akio. She saw him, and only him, and he ran towards her; she wanted to scream for him to stop because she didn't know what was coming but she knew it was bad.

 

She hit the ground like a rock and felt all of her ribs break inside of herself, she could feel the bone pieces detach and dig into every single one of her organs. She felt the sand rip her skin off of her but still she only looked at Akio and she tried to scream but she couldn't and no noise came out of her mouth, all she could do was breathe.

 

He got to her and he tried to tell her it would be alright but he couldn't because all that came out of his mouth was blood. Then he looked down and she looked down and they both saw the Diablos' horn through his chest, and he screamed but his voice was warped and she couldn't recognize it, he yelled for her to stop he asked her to stop the pain but she couldn't because the Diablos' horn impaled her.

 

When she looked up, it was too late and his dead eyes looked straight into hers and he mouthed “I love you”.

 

* * *

 

 

She opened her eyes and suppressed a scream.

 

She sat up straight in the bed, looking around frantically, feeling her chest for the gaping wound she almost thought would be there. But all her eyes met was emptiness, and all her fingers met was a scar.

 

Her shirt, hair and sheets were drenched in sweat. Slowly, she got up and walked over to the window, opening it to let in some fresh air.

 

Three days. Three days it had been since she had last spoken to him. Three days she had had to function with practically no sleep. And even now, as she stood beside the window, his absence was like a wide hole in her chest; she couldn't help but smile at the irony.

 

She had thought she would have gotten used to sleeping alone as fast as she had gotten used to sleeping beside his watchful figure, but sadly nothing was ever that easy. The loneliness of the room was crushing, and she could feel it every waking moment. She missed his frame, collapsed in the chair beside her bed, _his_ chair. She hadn't even moved it and, sometimes, out of the corner of her eye, she could almost see him filling it again.

 

She stood beside the window, letting the cool night air brush against her skin, and let out a long sigh. Morning was still a long way away, and she toyed with the idea of going out for a walk. Being outside of this room would surely distract her from the sleep that eluded her, as well as from the emptiness of the chair beside her bed.

 

Then, he knocked.

 

She didn't move, because she wasn't certain she hadn't dreamed it. There was a pause, a fleeting moment of suspense, then he opened the door.

 

He slipped in silently, only to stop himself once he saw Leiko's figure standing beside the window. For the first time in his life, he actually looked at her, his eyes not merely glancing upon her. Her hair and shirt were drenched in sweat, both clung to her skin, and he had a bit of trouble swallowing around the lump in his throat.

 

She looked at him and, instantly, the room felt whole again. She turned to face him, but did not step towards him, instead she laid back against the windowsill almost fearfully. The cold breeze blew on her back and she shivered.

 

Neither spoke for some time. Both stood far away from each other in silence. They didn't know what to say or when to say it. The moment Akio had laid his eyes on Leiko, everything he had planned to say felt irrelevant. He had come in with a plan, with every single word, every single syllable planned out. But in front of her everything had flown away like the night breeze had taken it with it. And when his words crossed his lips he had not planned them, yet he knew, somehow, they were true.

 

“I will not leave you again.”

 

The room was wrapped in a calm silence. Neither spoke again, but as they looked at each other they seemed to understand each other. He looked into her eyes and she looked into his, and for the first time they saw the same thing. She gave a tiny, warm smile as she slowly walked over to him. His heart soared to his throat and he couldn't help but answer her smile with his own. It was crooked, yes, but it was his.

 

She wrapped her arms around him and softly pressed her face against his neck. He held her and let himself bury his nose in her hair. They breathed together, he could feel her breath against his skin and she could feel his against hers. She held onto him tightly, as if he was the only thing she breathed for. He never let her go, because he had told her he wouldn't.

 

She was warm, the warmest thing he'd ever held against himself. He could feel her warmth seep into his skin and into his cold blood. He held the sun in his arms even if it was the middle of the night. He was a moonless night with no stars, but she illuminated it. She made the cold wind inside him warmer, the ice of his rivers melt: everything inside him thawed, and the melting of his snow had water trickle down his cheeks.

 

He was the glass she hid behind to look fear in the face. He was the pillar that held her shaking foundations in place, he was the lonely rock that saved her from drowning in the dark sea. His night sky made her stars shine brighter. He cooled the flame that devoured her, his rivers healed her scorched insides, he made it rain over the raging fire destroying everything she tried to build. She had tried to fly too close to the sun and he had caught her when she had fallen and burned her wings.

 

She was the fire to his cold nights, he was the drizzle that stopped her heart being reduced to ashes. She was his sun, he was her moon, she was the spring to his winter and he was the fall to her summer, she made his sun set and rise and he made her stars shimmer. She was his sunny days he was her rainy ones, she was his shore he was the ocean, she was the melody he was the rhythm, she was the sky he was the reason.

 

They stood together like this for eternity. Only when morning came did they let go of each other, as a knock sounded on the door. They didn't answer it immediately, but quickly knocks turned to pounding.

 

“Akio! AKIO!”

 

He leaped to the door and opened it to reveal a completely panicked Hana. Immediately, he knew something was very, very wrong, and she didn't even take the time to catch her breath.

 

“The Kushala Daora,” she huffed and puffed, “It's – it's almost here.”

 

The sky overhead was a dark shade of grey, and an ominous roar echoed in the distance.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Panic.

 

Panic in the streets, people ran inside their houses, gathering everyone they knew, everyone they loved. There were screams, and even though the city guards were still trying to maintain the peace they knew it was near impossible. So they hurried people along because there was still much work to do. But once everyone was inside and safe – they hoped – a thick layer of fear still coated the empty streets.

 

It felt almost eerie to walk along these roads that were usually so full of life. Dundorma was silent. No light shone from the windows or in the lanterns along the streets, their fire long ago extinguished by the dark wind sweeping the city.

 

They had to protect it. In the Aces minds', that was all that mattered. They had to protect Dundorma. It was why they were here, why they existed, why they lived: to hunt. To protect. To step up when nobody else could. They were the best of the best, a handful of hunters the Guild knew no one could hope to match.

 

The Commander walked in front of everybody. He had shut down, gone back entirely within himself. Both the Gunner and Hammer wielder knew what all of this meant to him. Both their hearts ached at the thought. His scar burned at his side.

 

When they arrived at the Commons, the Kindred Hunter and Master of Defense were already there.

 

Nobody spoke a word as they all gathered together. A soft drizzle rained over them, but they all knew this was only the beginning. Normally, the Commander would have spoken first. Leiko wasn't sure whether he was letting Masato get the first word out of respect, or because he didn't dare speak.

 

“We have long prepared for this moment. We could have prepared more, perhaps, but now is not the time anymore.”

 

He paused. The only sound that filled the silence was the rain hitting the floor and the wind whistling in their ears.

 

“The Battlequarters are ready. Thanks to the Kindred Hunter, we were able to build the Demolisher. Ammo for it is not quite ready yet but... You should get it in time.”

 

Another pause. The tension in the air was so thick they could almost taste it.

 

“This is it. You are the only ones who can make the sky blue again.”

 

He looked up to the dark grey of the clouds overhead.

 

“Good luck. I wish I could help more.”

 

Leiko saw Akio flinch at those last words. She shot the Master of Defense a glare, and he stared right back at her with an indecipherable look. She clenched her fists. The Commander looked up before speaking.

 

“Let us go and prepare ourselves. We don't have much time.”

 

Everyone went their own way, and the Hammer wielder was about to follow Akio, but Masato grabbed her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. She spun around to face him, and she was met with the same kind of look he had given her just before.

 

He waited for everyone to have gone before speaking.

 

“First of all, you should thank Hana.”

 

Leiko gave a slight nod. She didn't exactly know what the Gunner had done, but she had had her doubts the black woman had had something to do with Akio's change of mind. Or, at least, she had pushed him in the right direction.

 

“Now... You hold something very precious in your hands. You have the power to destroy him more than I have, more than he has himself. You have the power to destroy him beyond recognition, to break him so strongly that he will never recover. I want you to be aware of that.”

 

She did not speak a word, only nodded slightly once more, but the Master of Defense's words seeped through her blood and made her heart sink.

 

“But that is not the only power you have. You have the power to... fix him. To bring him higher than he has ever gone. You can make him stronger than he has ever been, or would ever have become without you. You have the power to have him be the man he wishes so strongly to be. I want you to be aware of that as well.”

 

She gave a slight smile, and he answered hers with his own, because he already knew which of those things she would do. He could see it in her eyes, and most importantly he could see it in Akio's. Masato reached over to Leiko and grabbed her shoulder firmly, staring right into her eyes.

 

“Thank you, lass.”

 

She nodded. He let her go and turned around, offering his back to her as his way of ending the conversation. She looked to the dark skies before heading to see Akio.

 

* * *

 

 

He was staring at the clouds when she arrived. He did not see her, or even hear her; she could see he was lost in thought, way farther than where she could reach him. She sat down on a box beside him and waited for him to come back.

 

He had yet to put on his chest plate, and this was one of the first times she saw him without it. It felt almost bizarre, she had come to accept his armour as some kind of extension of himself, and seeing him without it on felt... intimate, somehow. She faced his left side, and her eyes searched for the scar she knew was there through his clothes. Then, when she couldn't find it, her eyes slid back up to his face. He didn't even bother trying to hide the fear and worry that held him, and in his pupils still shone that spark of guilt which never went away.

 

He realized she was there, and his stare slowly slid down from the skies and onto her. In his eyes something shifted, she could see it clearly; some of his fear was alleviated for a moment. He looked at her: her dark hair was up in a ponytail, she wore armour a bright red – nothing surprising – under which he knew was a shirt similar to the one that had clung to her skin the night before. The image of her then had stuck to his mind, it kept appearing in his head at any time. It was a distraction from all the other, dark thoughts that ate at him.

 

She gave a little smile: she had meant for it to be comforting, but she knew her fear seeped through the cracks.

 

“So this is it, uh?”

 

He closed his eyes and sighed as he turned towards her.

 

“If I am honest...”

 

He paused, as if hesitating. He looked into the Hammer wielder's eyes as he continued.

 

“I am not ready.”

 

She got up.

 

“I don't think I ever will be.”

 

She wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her cheek rest against his chest. He closed his arms around her in a gesture that – still – felt almost alien to him, but he found a great deal of comfort in it. He lay his chin on the top of her head.

 

“This is it,” she repeated.

 

He froze as he felt her left hand against the skin of his side. She quickly found his scar, like her fingers had been there a million times before, and she simply laid her palm against it. Strangely, her warmth against it's burning did not feel out of place. He let out the breath he'd been holding and relaxed slowly as she still held him.

 

“I will not leave you again,” her words echoed his.

 

He closed his eyes and squeezed her against himself.

 

“And most importantly... You'll make it. You're stronger than you think.”

 

She broke away from his embrace and gave a slight smile. She had expected him to go along and finish preparing, but he pulled her back to himself and laid his forehead against hers. She could feel his breath against her lips, but she waited for him to talk before kissing him.

 

“There is nothing in the world that can stop me from protecting you and everyone else. I swear it.”

 

She leaned in slowly and softly pressed her lips against his. A wave of warmth washed over him, starting in his stomach, moving over to his fingers and dying there in a tingle. He poured himself in the kiss, his fear, his guilt and his despair, but also the fire she had kindled in his chest. She was the one who broke their embrace, and she took a step back with a smile. For a second, he forgot that he was scared.

 

“Come on, let's go and protect the city.”

 


	17. Chapter 17

They all stood in the Battlequarters, waiting for the beast to come.

 

The rain poured down on them and the wind blew fiercely. Where they had previously experienced a drizzle, this was a hurricane. It meant that the Elder Dragon was drawing closer. A shiver ran down Leiko's spine, although she was unsure if it was caused by the cold. She glanced to her right, where she could see Akio, now fully armoured, his eyes fixated on the sky. He was shaking almost imperceptibly, his hands curling in and out of fists. The Hammer wielder took a deep breath.

 

It came in as fast as the wind. None of them had seen it coming save perhaps Hana, but the Kushala Daora had been too quick for her to be able to warn the others. It swooped it, landed on the ground with a crash, and let out a deafening roar.

 

The realization of what was happening hit Leiko like a wall. _This is it._

 

Kyoko manned the canon with Akio's help, Haru manned a ballista, and Hana gunned down the beast like only she knew how. This left one ballista available for Hideaki and Leiko; she shot him an apologetic look and smile.

 

“This probably isn't the time to admit it but... I'm a really shit shot.”

 

She unsheathed her Hammer and the Kushala Daora soared into the air towards her. She took a running start and leaped off of the wall towards it.

 

It was incredibly fast, faster than she had expected, and dodged to the side; she caught her own fall with a roll. The monster directed it's attention towards the next closest person: Hideaki had not yet had the time to get to the ballista. It roared and, with a flap of it's wings, sent a gust of wind the Lancer's way: he blocked it with his shield, although he slid a bit backwards. This was an opening for everyone else, except Leiko, who stood in the middle of the arena, waiting.

 

Soon, the Elder Dragon realized she was the easiest target and started focusing it's attention on her. She dodged the blows it sent at her, and for everyone else she was the distraction that permitted they hit. Akio worked like a machine, bringing over canon balls and loading the canon without so much as a single thought. But the canon was not easy to aim, and it was worse even when they had to watch out as to not hit the Hammer wielder; Kyoko turned to the Commander.

 

“There's no way we can use the canon with her so close to it!”

 

Her words snapped him out of his trance: he blinked twice, seemingly took the time to register what this entailed, and his attention went to Leiko.

 

“Leiko! Get out of there!”

 

She turned her head to him, looking vaguely puzzled.

 

“What?”

 

This was an opening for the Kushala Daora; she realized this somewhat late, and could only partially dodge the gust of wind it sent her way. She was sent flying backwards, hitting her back and head hard against the wall. This left her stunned for a moment, leaving a second opening for the Elder Dragon which lunged towards her, fangs bare.

 

Akio was frozen in place, his entire body refused to move as he tried his hardest to make it. He couldn't even scream, all he could do was watch as all of this was unfolded.

 

It was in the nick of time that Leiko dodged the attack, regaining her senses just in time to do so. She rolled to the side, shaking her head.

 

“Shit! I'm okay, I'm okay!”

 

There was a collective sigh of relief which the Commander did not partake in, a cold fear gripping his heart.

 

“Commander!” Kyoko interjected, snapping him back to reality. “The canon's stuck!”

 

He did not take the time to check. The Kindred Hunter hesitated. At least that's what he assumed she did, his mind stuck in a fog. She was, in fact, waiting for an opportunity.

 

“Leiko!” she shouted, “Bring it here!”

 

The Hammer wielder did not take her focus away from the Kushala Daora this time and nodded. She did was she was asked, and the Caravan's Hunter soon saw the opportunity she was waiting for and leaped.

 

She landed square on the Dragon's back. Everyone held their breath as it went berserk, trying it's hardest to shake her off. She landed hit after hit after hit, and suddenly the wind around them grew slightly weaker. Hope was born in all of their hearts save one.

 

Then, she was thrown off.

 

She rapidly flew towards the ground: Hideaki jumped from the wall, hoping he could catch her. He would not make it in time: in this moment, it was all down to Leiko.

 

She threw her Hammer to the side and prepared herself for the impact. Kyoko's body hit her with a thud and they both flew backwards into the mud. Leiko wasn't sure if the Kindred Hunter was knocked out or not, but she was at the very least too stunned to react. The Kushala Daora focused it's attention on them and let out a roar from which the winds were born anew.

 

A small tornado formed at the tip of the Elder Dragon's mouth, and it blew it towards the two Hammer wielders. The Lancer's shield intercepted it just in time, although his feet slid backwards slightly. Leiko got up, quickly locating her Hammer, and leaped towards it.

 

Haru and Hana kept shooting at the Kushala Daora, grabbing it's attention; it turned to them and flew their way, the wind getting stronger and stronger around it. Hana was it's target: it lurched to her, fangs bare and ready to tear flesh. It was fast, she doubted she would have time to put her gun away to dodge properly, so she prepared for impact.

 

The impact never came, as Haru had jumped to her aid, Sword and Shield out, and used his small shield to make the monster's head narrowly miss it's mark in a most impressive display. The attack, however, got him launched further away; he quickly got up, smile as big as ever on his face.

 

“I'm okay!”

 

The Gunner smiled. She would have to thank him later.

 

All of this unfolded and all Akio could do was watch, as if he was stuck in a dream and he couldn't wake up. Every time the Elder Dragon launched an attack, his whole body would tense up like he was trying to move, but he could do nothing. He could hardly think, his mind a whirlwind of incoherent thoughts and feelings. The world spun around him and soon it was hard for him to stand.

 

He could hardly see, hardly hear what was happening. He tried to shake himself out of this state, he cursed himself and everything, but he could do nothing. He was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to fight. Images of his failures flashed in front of his eyes over and over and over and over.

 

What brought him back to reality was a sharp pain in the back of his head, and the sound of a wooden umbrella hitting the stone under his feet.

 

“God damnit, wake up, lad!”

 

The Master of Defense's voice boomed and echoed in the Battlequarters. Akio's vision was blurry, but still, as he turned around, he managed to make out the silhouette of his mentor on the upper wall of the arena.

 

“This isn't what I saved you for! Now you go and protect the things you love!”

 

And just like that, he disappeared, and the Commander, although he could still hardly see anything, unsheathed his Dual Blades.

 

Nothing made sense, he could not understand what was happening, but Masato's words echoed in his head. And though they woke in him a sharp pain, something in him settled. He saw a blur of grey, and he assumed this was the Kushala Daora, and all the other blurs he could see around it were his companions. They were close. Well, close enough.

 

He leaped.

 

His blades slashed the beast's face as he came down upon it and screamed. All were surprised and a wide smile broke out on Leiko's face.

 

Hana burst out laughing and her tears blinded her, though nobody could see them under the rain.

 

Akio landed on his feet with a thud, and the Kushala Daora let out an enraged roar. He steadied himself, stared straight into the beast's eyes, and he Commanded.

 

“Kyoko, get to the Demolisher.”

 

She bolted there. And as the Elder Dragon unleashed attack upon attack on Akio and he dodged them all, he continued handing out orders.

 

“Hideaki, Leiko, West Restraints. Hana, Haru, East Restraints.”

 

They did as he said. The Kushala Daora seemed to focus on him, but still he kept evading every single one of it's attacks. The Dragon's winds grew stronger, so strong in fact they started slashing the Hunters' skin.

 

Akio danced around the beast like he had been born to do it, every single one of his steps seemed perfectly calculated. Yet he could hardly see still, and the monster was but a giant blur to him: he fought by pure instinct. He felt the hits before they were given, like the wind around him predicted all the movements to come and the ones he had to make.

 

“Ready!”

 

“Ready!”

 

“Ready!”

 

Everyone was exactly where he had told them to go, and awaiting his signal. This was it. They only had one shot at this, and he was to order it. Time froze for a second, he closed his eyes and exhaled as he stepped in the exact spot he had to.

 

“Now!”

 

The harpoons shot out of the two Restraints right on cue, digging into the Kushala Daora's flesh and tying it in place. The Demolisher had been activated at the same time, and Akio could hear it charging up: he took his step the moment he had to and slid out of the way in an instant as a blast of concentrated dragon energy shot out of the Demolisher's canon.

 

The shot collided with the Elder Dragon in a boom that shook the earth under their feet. Light blinded them all, and when they finally opened their eyes again, the Kushala Daora lay on the ground and it's winds had died.

 

The sky was still grey overhead.

 

Both Haru and Leiko were too close: when the Dragon got to it's feet in a flap of it's wings, they were both thrown further. The beast roared, and as it did they could see a blast of sharp, black wind forming in it's mouth. Hideaki was close enough, and as the attack was about to be unleashed he had his shield up although he knew very well of the fissure in it that would be his undoing.

 

But the hit that he had expected came not from the front, but upwards, as Akio used the Lancer's shoulder to hoist himself up to the shield's height, step on it, and jump at the Kushala Daora, his blades bare as blue and green fangs.

 

If there was something the Elder Dragon had not expected, it was an attack from above, and the two swords pierced it's skull before it could finish unleashing it's blast. The sharp winds slashed at the Commander's right side as the beast fell and darkness enveloped him.

 

Darkness did not stay for long however, and he felt his body hit the ground before he opened up his eyes to the clouds disappearing. He felt someone grabbing his collar and lifting his upper body straight; he did not have the time to sit up before he was slapped and pain exploded in his cheek. The next thing he knew was Leiko's lips crashing against his and her tears staining his face: she then pulled back and headbutted him as she brought their foreheads together.

 

“You fucker!” she sobbed, “You absolute, complete fucking moron! I hate your guts!”

 

He wrapped his arms around her and she grabbed onto him harder.

 

“Don't you fucking dare ever doing that shit to me again!”

 

He pulled her in close and let her cry against his shoulder. He lifted his gaze to the three smiles directed at him. Then, he looked up to the blue sky overhead and smiled back.

 


	18. Chapter 18

That morning, Leiko awoke before Akio.

 

She opened her eyes to the light of day coming in through the window of their room in Dundorma. This was the last morning, at least for a time, where they would wake up here. It felt weird to leave this place. The Leiko that had entered this city was not the same one as the Leiko that was leaving on this day. So many things had changed.

 

She turned her head to the left, and her eyes met Akio's sleeping figure. She gave a slight smile. Come to think of it, before he had started sharing her bed, she had never actually _seen_ him sleep. She had expected him to be up before she was every day, as he used to be, but had come to see that that was not the case. It was as if he had finally started sleeping soundly.

 

She watched him sleep for a bit before closing any sort of distance in between them and wrapping her arms around him, snuggling into his neck. He let out a groan as he closed his arms around her and sighed happily. She smiled.

 

“'Morning,” she said.

 

“Good morning.”

 

As he held her, she breathed against his neck and revelled in his scent. Her breath on his skin tingled. He softly laid a kiss on her head.

 

“So, where are we heading next?” her words were muffled.

 

“To a small village south of here, near the active volcano. They are having trouble with a monster invasion, if I recall correctly.”

 

He felt her nod.

 

“The Unaaq has been repaired and will be delivered to us shortly.”

 

She nodded once more.

 

“What about Masato?” she asked.

 

She felt him tense up slightly and frowned.

 

“Have you talked to him yet?”

 

He let out a small sigh, and she already knew the answer. Although she couldn't see it, she knew in this moment that in his eyes was shining the guilt that still haunted him.

 

“I have not. There is much I need to say, but I do not know how.”

 

Leiko squeezed him against herself, hoping to bring him even the smallest hint of comfort.

 

“You should go do that before you're out of time.”

 

He sighed again, and she felt him move so that he was looking at the ceiling.

 

“You are right.”

 

They stayed like this for a while longer, and although the task that lay ahead of him still weighed heavily on Akio's mind, Leiko's body against his and her breathing on his skin lay a small smile on his lips.

 

* * *

 

 

The Master of Defense sat in the middle of the Commons before anyone else. He looked to the horizon, watching the sun rise from it's ashes. It was like he was searching for something that wasn't there, or remembering a better time. There was always this far off look in his eyes, and as Akio watched him guilt and sorrow always welled up in him. He took a deep breath and walked over to Masato.

 

“Good morning,” he began.

 

The Master of Defense's gaze slid onto him, and he gave a slight smile and a nod as only greeting.

 

“It is today that our paths diverge again.”

 

There was regret in the Commander's voice. But then again, it was always the same when he spoke to his mentor. The latter nodded slowly.

 

“I do believe so.”

 

Akio closed his eyes and sighed, gathering his courage. He did not quite know how to say what he meant and doubted there even existed words to describe it. Yet, it was now or never.

 

“Thank you,” he breathed.

 

Masato's gaze had gone back to the sunrise, but at these words he looked to the Commander. He had an expression Akio wasn't quite able to decipher. The Master of Defense stared into his eyes before answering.

 

“For what?”

 

“For... Everything.”

 

Masato gave a slight smile.

 

“Everything?”

 

Akio knew exactly what his mentor was implying. He had never understood why he had been saved. Had never been grateful for it, because he didn't think he deserved it. Because it had not seemed worth it. He had tried so hard to be worthy of all of the hopes Masato had put in him when he had sacrificed what he loved most for the life of his pupil. Even though he didn't know why, even though he could not understand why he was still alive.

 

But now, he understood. The warmth in his heart told him so.

 

“Everything.”

 

Recognition shone in Masato's eyes, and his chest swelled with pride. He reached for his back, where his hunting knife always hung. It was perhaps the object most important to him. The only thing he had kept from his hunting days. Akio had always thought it was because he wanted a reminder of those days. But in the Master of Defense's irises was something undecipherable as he took the knife off of himself and held it out to the Commander.

 

“...”

 

Akio looked at it, eyes wide. He looked up to his mentor who was smiling at him, although he kept a serious expression. He wasn't sure he was worthy. Didn't know if he could really take it. If it could be passed on to him before he would pass it on to Haru. It was a responsibility he wasn't quite sure he could handle.

 

Then, Masato's words echoed in his mind. _Go and protect the things you love._

 

He reached out and firmly held the hunting knife. The Master of Defense let go of it. It felt heavy with meaning. Slowly, Akio hung it to his back, under his Dual Blades. Masato smiled at him, pride shining in his eyes.

 

“Thank you, lad.”

 

* * *

 

 

Masato left before the Aces. Goodbyes were had, and under the bright blue sky the Master of Defense went on to defend another city.

 

The Capital C Caravan was there in it's entirety, and as they all watched the Unaaq arrive Leiko turned to Kyoko.

 

“So, you won't be coming with us?”

 

The Kindred Hunter smiled, but shook her head. She gestured to the people beside her as she spoke.

 

“Nah, we've got places to be, monsters to kill. Besides, you guys can handle yourself just fine.”

 

Leiko held out her hand with a grin.

 

“We sure can. It was fun to fight with a Hammer wielder that's almost as good as I am.”

 

Kyoko answered with a smirk as she shook the Ace Hammer wielder's hand, gripping it way too strongly and squeezing.

 

“Ha, you wish!”

 

Leiko squeezed the other Hammer wielder's hand just as hard before they both let go. Akio was looking at their ship docking: it had been entirely repaired. Their previous endeavours having included colliding with a Dah'ren Mohran and a Gore Magala, it had been quite battered, and the last time they had seen it it was nigh unusable. It felt good to see it working again.

 

He turned around to the people surrounding him.

 

“Shall we go?”

 

Hana waved at everyone before embarking. She was quickly followed by Haru, who waved back excitedly with a wide smile. Hideaki said his goodbyes to the Palico he had trained and which was now under the Kindred Hunter's responsibility, then embarked. Akio turned to Kyoko.

 

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.”

 

She smiled at him.

 

“You needed it!”

 

She gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. He appeared slightly confused, although the beginning of a smirk formed at the corner of his lips.

 

“But really, you'd easily manage without me. Especially with such a good team. So, thank you.”

 

She smiled at him once more, then she turned around and walked back to her group. The Caravan was all smiles as well.

 

“See ya!” she said as she had her back turned to him and waved.

 

Leiko grabbed Akio's arm and brought him with her as she embarked. As she stood on the ship, she turned back to Dundorma.

 

“See you guys soon!”

 

And with that, the ship departed, sailing on the sands. As Dundorma was becoming smaller and smaller in the distance, Leiko was looking back to it until it disappeared. Akio stood beside her, his arm around her shoulders. Then, once the city was but a tiny dot in the distance, she moved over to the front of the ship and looked to the horizon. Akio stood behind her. Haru ran up to her, standing beside her and looking forward. Hana and Hideaki both joined the Commander.

 

Haru's entire mind was on the future and everything to come. Hideaki's shield had been repaired and was now stronger than ever. Hana smiled as she thought of Masato's knife on the Commander's back. Akio's scar on his left side had stopped hurting while the one on his right side was healing. And as Leiko pointed to something in the distance, all could see that along her right arm, along the scar from the Diablos' horn, had been tattooed a blue sword.

 

They were the Ace Hunters. They hunted, they protected. And as they all stood together at the front of their ship, heading towards new challenges, none of them were alone.

 


End file.
